VVD senator Paulien Geerdink bid farewell to the Senate on July 1. She had been a member of the VVD fraction since June 11, 2019. Geerdink is trained as a fiscal economist. Before her membership in the Senate, she was a municipal councilor in Amsterdam and a member of the Provincial States in Groningen. As a member of the Senate, she had various portfolios under her care, including European affairs, finance, infrastructure, water management, and social affairs and employment. For the past year and a half, she was also the chair of the IPC Language Union. Geerdink will become the general director of the Dutch Order of Tax Advisors as of August 1.
‘After six intensive and special years in the Senate, I bid farewell with a warm heart. It was a privilege to work – together with involved colleagues – for a good Dutch business climate with corresponding competitive tax legislation and high-quality higher education. I also enjoyed chairing the Language Union. I believe in the power of language to connect people and worlds. I will continue to dedicate myself to this with pleasure.’
After Geerdinks farewell, Karin Straus was installed as a VVD senator. Straus was a member of the House of Representatives for the VVD fraction from 2010 to 2017. In that capacity, she spoke on childcare and education, from primary education to adult education. Straus began her career in business and is an experienced administrator: after her membership in the House, she was a municipal councilor in Roermond and Midden-Delfland and a member of the Provincial States in Limburg.
‘It is an honor for me to now contribute as a member of the Senate. From my previous experience in the House of Representatives, municipal politics, and the public sector, I know how important it is that laws not only look good on paper but also really work for people in practice. This has been a common thread in my work over the past years that I hope to continue as a member of the Senate.’
Straus will combine her Senate membership with her work as chair of the General Association of School Leaders.