Michelle McIlveen

Michelle McIlveen MLA (born 21 January 1971) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as General Secretary of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2008.

she is the party's Spokesperson for Environment, Climate and Fisheries.

She served as Minister for Education from June 2021 to October 2022, and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Strangford since 2007.

A native of Newtownards, she attended Methodist College Belfast and later Queen's University, Belfast where she took a Master's Degree in Irish Politics and later still a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, the necessary qualification to teach in most parts of the United Kingdom.

She taught History and Politics at Grosvenor Grammar School in East Belfast for a number of years before entering full-time politics.

McIlveen was first elected as a councillor to Ards Borough Council in 2005, representing the Newtownards District.

She then became an MLA in the 2007 Assembly election for Strangford.

McIlveen became the Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on 11 May 2015 until 28 October 2015.

She became the Minister for Regional Development on 21 September 2015.

This post had been held by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) minister Danny Kennedy until his party withdrew from the Northern Ireland Executive, and under the D'Hondt method the department was transferred to the DUP.

McIlveen was appointed as minister for this department, with Emma Little-Pengelly replacing her as Junior Minister.

McIlveen then served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs from 2016 until the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2017.

On 14 June 2021, McIlveen, a former teacher, was appointed as the Minister for Education by the DUP leader Edwin Poots.

She remained in the post under Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's leadership.

Her constituency office is in Comber.