Ronnie W. Skelton is a politician and the current Leader of the Opposition in the British Virgin Islands.

Early life and education

Ronnie Skelton was educated at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI and holds a B.Sc. Electrical Engineering from Tuskegee Institute, Alabama (1980). He has also completed a DC Award in Thermodynamics from Howard University, Washington; DC Certificate from National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Washington; and certificates from BIMPAN in Barbados and Fourth Commonwealth Top Management Programme for Public Enterprises, Singapore.

Career

Skelton worked as a Distribution Engineer for BVI Electricity Corporation  from 1980 to 1982; and as an Electrical Engineer for Partners, Sheer  House, West by Fleet, Surrey, England from 1982 to 1983. He returned to BVI Electricity Corporation in 1983 and became General Manager in 1987.

He was first elected to Parliament in 1999 as Territorial Member and Member of the Opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) in the Legislative Council of the Virgin Islands. Re-elected in 2003, he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Finance, Health and Social Development.

Despite being re-elected in 2007 as a Territorial At-Large Member, the NDP lost the election to the Virgin Islands Party led by Ralph O'Neal. During this period in opopsition, he served as Private Sector Chief Executive Officer at the Skelton Group of Companies.  

The NDP regained office in 2011 and Skelton was appointed Minister for Health and Social  Development. He was re-elected in 2015 and reappointed to the Cabinet. He was fired as a Cabinet Minister in November 2018.

Personal life

Skelton is married to and is the father of two children. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Road Town, British Virgin Islands and several professional associations.