Ruth Dancia Penn, (born 1951) is a British Virgin Islands politician and former Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 20 September 2004 to 1 April 2007. She also formerly served as the

Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands The Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands is the principal legal adviser to the Government of the British Virgin Islands. Under the Constitution of the British Virgin Islands the Attorney General sits ''ex officio'' in both the House of ...

from 1992 to 1999. Penn was the first woman to be appointed Deputy Governor, and the first British Virgin Islander to serve as Attorney General. She served briefly as the acting Governor of the British Virgin Islands during 2006 in the gap between Tom Macan leaving office and David Pearey taking up his appointment. Professionally Dancia Penn goes by her maiden name, but her legal name has been changed to Mrs Dancia Penn-Sallah since her marriage to Captain Sallah, former Registrar of Ships in the British Virgin Islands.

Politics

In July 2007, Penn announced her candidacy to stand for the 8th district in the General Election held on 20 August 2007 in the British Virgin Islands on behalf of the

Virgin Islands Party The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a List of political parties in the British Virgin Islands, political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Natalio Wheatley. It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin I ...

(VIP). She was elected to office, defeating the incumbent Lloyd Black, and she was appointed the Minister of Health and Welfare, and as the Deputy Premier of the British Virgin Islands. However, in the General Election held on 7 November 2011 she lost her 8th district seat to Marlon Penn. There had been considerable speculation after the 2007 that when the then Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Ralph T. O'Neal retired, Penn would be named as his successor as leader of the Virgin Islands Party, and would thereby become the first female Premier in the Territory. Her defeat in the 2011 election precluded (or at least deferred) that possibility. Penn subsequently ran again for the legislature in the 2015 General Election, but ran as an independent rather than as a Virgin Islands Party candidate, and ran at-large rather than for the 8th district. She was not elected in 2015.

Judicial

In 2007, Penn took up a temporary appointment as an acting judge of the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

of the

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...

. She was required to give up that appointment shortly after formally entering politics as a candidate.

Electoral history

References

Offices

Sources

Island Sun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Dancia 1951 births Living people Deputy governors of the British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Party politicians British Virgin Islands women in politics Governors of the British Virgin Islands Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century lawyers British Virgin Islands lawyers British Virgin Islands judges Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court justices British Virgin Islands King's Counsel Attorneys general of the British Virgin Islands 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians British judges of international courts and tribunals Female justice ministers 21st-century British women judges