Dawn Purvis

Biography

Dawn was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from March 2007-May 2011, representing the East Belfast constituency, first as a member of the Progressive Unionist Party and subsequently as an independent. Born in Belfast, Dawn joined the PUP in 1994 and first stood for the party in the elections to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Dawn was involved with various rounds of peace process negotiations before, during and after the Good Friday Agreement.

Dawn left politics in 2011 and became Northern Ireland Programme Director with Marie Stopes International (MSI). She opened the first integrated sexual and reproductive healthcare centre in Belfast. The first of its kind on the island of Ireland offering a range of services including advice on contraception, STI & HIV screening and early medical abortion within the law.

Before joining the social housing sector, Dawn worked as an independent consultant in various countries including Iraq, the Philippines and Ukraine where she supported peace efforts and programmes supporting the inclusion of women in politics and civil society.

In her spare time Dawn continues to serve as a trustee for various charities who work to tackle health and socio-economic disadvantage and exclusion.