Cecile deJongh became First Lady of the Virgin Islands on January 1, 2007 when her husband, Governor John deJongh, was inaugurated as the Territory’s 7th elected governor. 

The first lady was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, where her father was stationed as a physician with the U.S. Army. Both her parents were born and raised in the Virgin Islands and they returned home in 1962 with four children in tow.

As First Lady, Mrs. deJongh promotes several causes, including one that has touched her own family - she has established two local chapters of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) in order to further raise awareness about this disorder and to seek support for affected families. She is a certified Parent-to-Parent Teacher through CHADD.

She is the Big Read Spokesperson which she hopes will to help improve the literacy rate in the Virgin Islands. The first lady is an outspoken advocate for homeownership and is a founding member and honorary board member of Habitat for Humanities of the Virgin Islands. She advocates for improvements elderly care and individuals with disabilities. She is presently a Trustee for the Antilles School, a 12 year board member for the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands, and a board member of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.

In 2007, the first lady launched Camp Shriver in St. Thomas and St. Croix. She is a strong supporter of Special Olympics, as well. Mrs. deJongh has embarked on an initiative to improve the First Lady’s Garden in the historic district of St. Thomas. 

A graduate of Marquette University, with a degree in business administration and marketing, Mrs. deJongh accepted a position with Chase Manhattan Bank in St. Croix. During her tenure with the bank, she was selected to attend its Western Hemisphere Credit Training Program in Puerto Rico. She eventually went on to become Vice President of Commercial and Mortgage Lending. She has been recently honored as a Rotary Person of the Year. She and her husband were married in 1986 and have three children, John III, Rene and Julian.