Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM was elected to the National Assembly in 1999 and represents Carmarthen East and Dinefwr. Between 2007 and 2008 he served as Minister for Culture in the Welsh Assembly Government, and he is now one of the most senior backbenchers in the institution. In the Assembly he has served variously as Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Chair of the Culture Committee and Plaid's Deputy Assembly Group Leader. He was born in Wrexham in 1953 and attended the University of Wales Aberystwyth, Bangor and Lampeter.A former Chair of CND Cymru, the Welsh spokesperson for Private Business and Chair of the Mid & South Wales Liaison Committee of NSPCC Wales, he is also a Minister of religion.