Sylvanie Burton is a politician from Dominica who has served as the president of Dominica since 2023, after being elected in the 2023 Dominican presidential election. She is the first woman and first indigenous (Kalinago) president of Dominica.
Career
Burton has served as permanent secretary in various ministries since 2014, within the ministries of Community Development, Environment, Rural Modernization, Kalinago Upliftment, and Constituency Empowerment, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Youth and Social Services. Burton has also previously held the position of Development Officer in the Ministry of Kalinago Affairs.
Burton was nominated by the DLP government led by Roosevelt Skerrit to succeed outgoing president Charles Savarin. Her nomination was rejected by the leader of the opposition, Jesma Paul Victor, leading to an election within parliament against the opposition's nominee.
Personal life
Burton is married with two children. She was 58 years old in August 2023, so she was born about 1964-1965. She has a master's degree in project management and a bachelor’s degree in rural development.