Marja van Bijsterveldt | |
|---|---|
 Marja van Bijsterveldt in 2010 | |
| Mayor of Delft | |
| Assumed office 2 September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Bas Verkerk |
| Minister of Education, Culture and Science | |
| In office 14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
| Preceded by | André Rouvoet |
| Succeeded by | Jet Bussemaker |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 17 June 2010 – 14 October 2010 | |
| Parliamentary group | Christian Democratic Appeal |
| State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science | |
| In office 22 February 2007 – 14 October 2010 Serving with Sharon Dijksma | |
| Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
| Preceded by | Bruno Bruins |
| Succeeded by | Halbe Zijlstra |
| Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Appeal | |
| In office 2 November 2002 – 22 February 2007 | |
| Leader | Jan Peter Balkenende |
| Preceded by | Bert de Vries |
| Succeeded by | Peter van Heeswijk |
| Mayor of Schipluiden | |
| In office 16 September 1994 – 1 January 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Jan Waaijer |
| Succeeded by | John de Prieëlle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Janneke Marlene Vliegenthart 27 June 1961 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Appeal |
| Spouse |
Antoine van Bijsterveldt
(m. 1992) |
| Children | 2 children |
| Relatives | Arjan Vliegenthart (cousin) |
| Residence(s) | Delft, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Politician · Civil servant · Nonprofit director · Academic administrator · Nurse |
Janneke Marlene "Marja" van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart (born 27 June 1961) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). She has been mayor of Delft since 2 September 2016.
Van Bijsterveldt attended nursing school and worked in healthcare.
In 1990 she became politically active for the Christian Democratic Appeal. She was an alderwoman (member) of the Almere municipal council but left her post after the mayor of Almere's expenses were investigated. Van Bijsterveldt disagreed with the way the other aldermen of the social-democratic PvdA and the liberal VVD had dealt with the matter, and following a motion of no-confidence she resigned.
In 1994 she was appointed to be Mayor of Schipluiden and at age 33, she became the youngest Mayor in Dutch history. She also was active within the CDA, first as chair of the Christian Democratic Youth Appeal (CDJA), the CDA's youth organization and later as chair of the CDA-women's council. In November 2002 van Bijsterveldt became party chair of the CDA. She was the first chair directly elected by the CDA membership. She beat the other candidate with 26.542 against 9.574 votes. She was reelected for a period of four years in 2006.
On 22 February 2007 Van Bijsterveldt was appointed State secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Fourth Balkenende cabinet. In August 2009 she made a speech in the States General about Laura Dekker, a thirteen-year-old Dutch citizen whose plans to circumnavigate the world solo caused international controversy. Van Bijsterveldt spoke against Dekker and agreed with the decision to make her a ward of court.[1]
| Honours | ||||
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 10 December 2012 | |
