Carolyn Trench-Sandiford (born 1962) is a

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

and politician who has served as the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

since December 2020. She is a member of the

People's United Party The People's United Party (, PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2025 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean Hou ...

Education

Trench-Sandiford was born in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

. She studied Physical Planning and Environmental Resource Management at the

University of Technology, Jamaica The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Ja.), formerly the College of Arts, Science and Technology, is a public university in Jamaica. History The university was founded as the Jamaica Institute of Technology in 1958. The following y ...

and Law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. She undertook a Masters in Environmental Law and Management at

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

with a scholarship from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust.

Career

Trench-Sandiford is an urban planner and is CEO of her own firm. She served as President of the Belize Planners Association from 2016 until December 2020. She was co-convenor of the Caribbean Planners Association, was recognised as a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

global evaluation expert and was named by ''The Planner'' as one of its "Women of Influence" in 2018. Trench-Sandiford was known as a "social advocate, speaking out for the constitutional rights of vulnerable and marginalized groupings of people and communities. and on

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. On the anniversaries of Belize's independence in 2014 and 2016, she published articles called "Quo Vadis Belize? Where are we going Belize?" outlining her understanding of the country's needs to move forward.

Political career

Trench-Sandford is a member of the

and served as party chair from 2010 as well as one of its Deputy Leaders for a time. In 2006 she was nominated as a candidate for the party in both the Collet Division and Belize City Council. She was defeated by the UDP's Patrick Faber in both the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and 2012 general elections. Trench-Sandiford was selected and sworn in as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

on 11 December 2020.

Personal life

Trench-Sandiford is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

References

External links

Political History with Carolyn Trench-Sandiford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trench-Sandiford, Carolyn Living people 1962 births Politicians from Belize City Alumni of the University of London Alumni of Aberystwyth University Presidents of the Senate (Belize) Urban planners Women urban planners People's United Party politicians Members of the Senate (Belize) Women legislative speakers 21st-century Belizean women politicians 21st-century Belizean politicians