Alma Francis-Heliyer | |
---|---|
Member of the Virgin Islands Legislature | |
Assumed office January 11, 2021 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Alma Francis October 12, 1973 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse | Gilbert Heyliger |
Education | University of the Virgin Islands |
Alma Francis-Heliyer is a United States Virgin Islands politician, former radio talk host, and Senator serving in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands from the St. Thomas-St. John District, since 2021. [1]
The owner of Infinity Broadcasting, LLC. [2] In December 2020, Alma achieved her goal to take ownership of Radio One AM 1000, while becoming one of the many Black women to manage a radio station out of 11,000 radio stations across the country. [3]
Alma Francis was born on October 12, 1973, in St. Thomas to the late Leeann Rabsatt Francis of Tortola and Denzil” Frank” Francis Defreitas of St. Kitts. Alma graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School in 1991. She later attended the University of the Virgin Islands and obtained her degree in Business communications. [4]
Francis-Heyliger has been employed with the Legislature of the Virgin Islands for over 22 years. She have worked for the MIS Division and inside the office of Senator Donald Cole from 1999 to 2003 and Senator Lorraine Berry from 2003 to 2005. Prior to being in that capacity, Alma was a contract specialist for Department of Property and Procurement Home Protection Roofing program. [5]
Since taking office, Alma has introduced 14 pieces of legislation which include the CROWN Act.
In January 2023, Francis-Heyliger pushed back when Democratic members of the 35th Legislature voted down her measure to create a minority caucus. [6]
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Politics of the United States Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the Governor is the head of the territory's government, and of a multi-party system. United States Virgin Islands are an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior. Executive power is exercised by the local government of the Virgin Islands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
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