Dilma Roussef’s Biography

► Dilma Vana Rousseff is 62 years old and an economist. She was born in Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais, to Bulgarian migrant Pedro Rousseff and teacher Dilma Jane da Silva. Divorced, she has one daughter and has built a life grounded in determination, competence and social sensitivity.
Her work became widely renowned under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva´s administration. She served as the Minister of Mines and Energy and as the Chief of Staff within the Executive branch. She led key actions undertaken by the executive branch through programs such as the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), “Light for All” and “My House, My Life”. She also set the rules for governing the exploration of the pre-salt layer oil deposits.


Fight for democracy
During Brazil’s military regime (1964–1985), when the constitutional rights of Brazilians were suspended, Dilma took part in resistance movements against the dictatorship. She was arrested in Sao Paulo and in 1973 she moved to Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, where she graduated with a degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
In the late 1970s, Dilma fought for amnesty for citizens who had been deprived of their political rights and was subsequently persecuted and expelled from the country by the military government. At the time, together with then husband Carlos Araújo, she helped found the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) of Rio Grande do Sul. She was an active militant in the party and worked side by side with historic figures in Brazilian politics such as Leonel Brizola. She played a decisive role in the Diretas Já (Direct Elections Now) movement – the largest civil mobilization in the recent history of Brazil, which ultimately led to the return to democracy.


In 1986, Dilma held her first public position. She was appointed by Alceu Collares – a member of the Democratic Labor Party who had been elected mayor of Porto Alegre – to lead the Municipal Secretary of Treasury. In the early 1990s, Dilma presided over the Economics and Statistics Foundation, a state institution geared toward developing social and economic research and surveys.
In 1993, during Alceu Collares’ term in office, she became the Secretary of Energy and Communications of Rio Grande do Sul; a position she held again under Olívio Dutra’s term in office in 1998. Her work as the Secretary of Energy and Communications would later be recognized throughout Brazil.
While working in the Rio Grande do Sul government, Dilma designed an emergency public works program, which resulted in the deployment of 984 kilometers of transmission lines, construction of hydroelectric and thermoelectric power plants, and the implementation of wind energy. Moreover, she mobilized both the public and private sector in a major effort to reduce energy consumption without decreasing production or impacting the well being of the population.


In 2001, Dilma joined the Workers´ Party (PT). One year later, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) was elected President of the Republic of Brazil. Lula was impressed with Dilma´s knowledge and experience in the energy sector and appointed her Minister of Mines and Energy.