| Albert Bryan | |
| Order: | 9th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands |
| Lieutenant: | Tregenza Roach |
| Term Start: | January 7, 2019 |
| Predecessor: | Kenneth Mapp |
| Birth Name: | Albert Bryan Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 21 February 1968 |
| Birth Place: | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Children: | 2 |
| Residence: | Government House |
| Education: | Wittenberg University (BA) University of the Virgin Islands (MBA) |
Albert Bryan Jr. (born February 21, 1968) is an American politician serving since 2019 as the ninth governor of the United States Virgin Islands.
Bryan was born on the island of St. Thomas, to Albert Sr. and Genevieve (Pilgrim) Bryan, the oldest of five sons. He grew up in the Savan neighborhood of Charlotte Amalie, the territory's capital. As a teenager, Bryan moved to St. Croix, where he graduated from St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School in 1985. Bryan earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Wittenberg University in 1989. He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix Campus in 2003.[1]
In 2007, Governor John de Jongh appointed Bryan as Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Labor. When de Jongh's term ended in 2015, he returned to the private sector. Bryan was CEO and President of Aabra Group, a consulting firm, and Master Strategies, a recruiting firm. He also was executive director of the Virgin Islands chapter of Junior Achievement.
In April 2018, Bryan officially announced his candidacy for governor and chose Tregenza Roach as his running mate.[2] They won the August 4 Democratic primary with 39.23% of the vote, defeating former Finance commissioner Angel E. Dawson Jr. and former Senator Allison "Allie" Petrus.[3] The team campaigned on restoring trust to government, stabilizing the economy, modernizing infrastructure, education, healthcare, reducing crime and poverty, affordable housing, and attracting rum distilleries to rescue GERS. Bryan led the 2018 general election with 38% of the vote and defeated incumbent governor Kenneth Mapp in a runoff with over 55% of the vote. He is the second Democrat to unseat a sitting governor since Charles W. Turnbull in 1998.[4]
Bryan launched his reelection bid on May 11, 2022.[5] In the August 6 primary, he defeated Kent Bernier Sr. with 65.04% of the vote. He won the November 8 general election, defeating Senator Kurt Vialet and two other candidates with 56% of the vote.[6]
Bryan was sworn in as the 9th governor of the United States Virgin Islands by Rhys Hodge, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands on January 7, 2019, at the David Monsanto Bandstand, which was built by his grandfather Ulric “Sappy” Pilgrim in Emancipation Gardens on St. Thomas. Before the ceremony, Bryan and his family attended an inaugural mass at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The inauguration proceed with military parades and inaugural balls held on all three islands.[7]
Shortly after assuming office, Bryan announced his senior staff.[8] During the announcement of several cabinet members,[9] Bryan assured the public that his cabinet would be filled within 90 days, after concerns that he was moving too slowly.[10] Ahead of a January 31 deadline, Bryan requested an extension to the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program, which was approved by FEMA.[11] Bryan ordered the removal of reserved parking signs from Queen Cross Street, which overturned a 20 years-long practice at Government House on St. Croix.[12] Due to a shortage of psychiatrists, he issued an executive order declaring a mental healthcare state of emergency in the territory.[13] In March 2019, Bryan and his family moved into Government House on St. Croix.[14] Bryan proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.[15]
In August 2019, Bryan faced criticism from Senators Kurt Vialet and Janelle Sarauw following his response ahead of Hurricane Dorian.[16] Bryan launched the Envision Tomorrow program to assist homeowners and landlords whose properties were damaged by two hurricanes in 2017.[17]
A member of the National Governors Association, Bryan was appointed in February 2021 to co-chair the NGA Task Force on Community Renewal.[18]
Bryan supports legalizing medicinal cannabis based on the proven health benefits in the relief of pain and treatment of symptoms for many serious illnesses including cancer. During an 2018 interview with St. Thomas Source, he stated “I believe a properly regulated medicinal cannabis industry can provide relief to those seeking alternatives to conventional medicine and can also be an economic driver attracting new revenues for the Virgin Islands.”[19] Bryan signed the Virgin Islands Medicinal Cannabis Patient Care Act into law.[20] He later called the legislature into special session to include an amendment to the enacted bill to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana in a controlled market while his administration intended to use generating revenue to secure a bond for GERS but his request was denied as senators needed further vetting.[21] In May 2020, Bryan resubmitted his proposal to the legislature.[22]
Bryan paid off all outstanding debt to the Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority for 2019 and prior years, making the government up to date on payments.[23] In August 2019, Bryan announced the purchase of four new generators, which were aimed at lowering the electricity bills to 5 cents per kilowatt in wake of rolling blackouts.[24] On August 27, 2021, he sued to prevent the implementation of Act 8472, which reduces the WAPA board from nine members to seven.[25]
On March 13, 2020, Bryan declared a state of emergency with the arrival of coronavirus.[26] On March 19, Bryan lowered gatherings to 10. Effective March 25, Bryan ordered all non-essential businesses to close and residents stay at home. On April 8, Bryan postponed in-person public school classes for remainder of the 2019–2020 school year.[27] A month after transitioning from "Safer at Home" to the "Open Doors" phase, Bryan required travelers entering the territory from several states such as Arizona, Texas, Florida to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours. He also moved to close beaches early at 4pm starting July 3 to July 5, ahead of the holiday weekend while bars and nightclubs closed at midnight until further notice. On August 4, Bryan requested the legislature to extend the current State of Emergency order through October 9. Amid a COVID-19 surge, Bryan reinstated his "Stay at Home" phase which shuttered non-essential businesses including churches and school campuses for two weeks. On September 8, he said that all inbound travelers must provide a negative PCR test upon arrival or face a mandatory 14-day quarantine. On November 24, Bryan ordered a soft two-week shutdown for government agencies. On February 1, 2021, he requested from the legislature a 30-day extension of the State of Emergency to March 8. In June 2021, Bryan announced his Vax-to-Win lottery incentive. On July 26, 2021, he expressed frustration with the territory's low vaccination rate as he aimed to get 15,000 residents vaccinated by September. On March 14, 2022, Bryan lifted the indoor mask mandate but left it in place at ports of entry, medical facilities, nursing homes and schools. In June 2022, he issued an executive order extending the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency until June 30, 2022.
| Agency | Commissioner/Director | |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Finance | Kevin McCurdy Clarina Modeste-Elliott (2023–2024) Bosede Bruce (2021–2023) Kirk Callwood (2019–2020) | |
| OMB | Kimika Woods Jenifer O’Neal (2019–2024) | |
| Department of Education | Dionne Wells-Hendrington Racquel Berry-Benjamin (2019–2022) | |
| Department of Sports, Parks & Recreation | Calvert White | |
| Department of Public Works | Derek Gabriel Nelson Petty (2015–2021) | |
| Department of Justice | Gordon Rhea Ariel Smith (2023–2024) Carol Thomas-Jacobs (acting) Denise George (2019–2023) | |
| Department of Labor | Gary Molloy | |
| Bureau of Internal Revenue | Joel Lee | |
| Department of Property & Procurement | Lisa Alejandro Anthony Thomas (2019–2023) | |
| Virgin Islands Police Department | Mario Brooks Ray Martinez (2021–2024) Trevor Velinor (2019–2021) | |
| Department of Tourism | Joseph Boschulte | |
| Department of Human Services | Averil George Kimberley Causey-Gomez (2019–2023) | |
| Department of Health | Justa Encarnacion | |
| Department of Personnel | Cindy Richardson Dayna Clendinen (2019–2021) | |
| Bureau of Motor Vehicles | Barbara McIntosh | |
| Virgin Islands Fire Department | Antonio Stevens Darryl George (2019–2023) | |
| Office of Veteran Affairs | Patrick Farrell | |
| Bureau of Corrections | Wynnie Testamark | |
| Department of Agriculture | Dr. Louis Petersen Positive Nelson (2019–2023) | |
| Department of Planning & Natural Resources | Jean Pierre Oriol | |
| Virgin Islands Energy Office | Kyle Fleming | |
| Bureau of Information Technology | Rupert Ross | |
| Office of Collective Bargaining | Joss Springette | |
| VITEMA | Daryl Jaschen | |
| Department of Licensing & Consumer Affairs | Nathalie Hodge Richard Evangelista (2019–2023) | |
| Law Enforcement Planning Commission | Angela Campbell Ray Martinez (2019–2021) | |
| Virgin Islands National Guard | Col. Kodjo Knox-Limbacker |
| No. | Date(s) | Destination | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 17–18, 2019 | Miami, Florida | |
| 2 | January 29–30, 2019 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network meeting on Post-Disaster Recovery |
| 3 | February 21–27, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | NGA Winter meeting |
| 4 | March 26, 2019 | Puerto Rico | Visited FEMA Distribution Center in Bayamon and met with Governor Ricardo Rosselló in San Juan. |
| 5 | April 4–11, 2019 | Miami, Florida, Washington, D.C. | Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami and met with FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor in Washington, D.C. |
| 6 | May 8, 2019 | Atlanta, Georgia | Met with Delta Air Lines |
| 7 | May 21–23, 2019 | Miami, Florida | Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit |
| 8 | June 29–30, 2019 | St. Kitts | St. Kitts Music Festival |
| 9 | July 7–9, 2019 | Orlando, Florida | Met with Margaritaville Enterprises |
| 10 | July 15–16, 2019 | West Palm Beach | |
| 11 | September 20–22, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | Meetings with federal agencies |
| 12 | October 25-November 9, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | Meetings with members of Congress and federal agencies |
| 13 | December 5–9, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | Job for America's Graduates annual meeting |
| 14 | February 4, 2020 | Tortola | Inter-Virgin Islands Council conference |
| 15 | February 7–11, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | NGA Winter meeting |
| 16 | July 8–12, 2021 | Atlanta, Georgia | Hosted a government job recruitment fair for Virgin Islanders living abroad to return home. |
| 17 | July 27-August 1, 2021 | Miami, Florida | Met with transportation and shipping companies |
| 18 | October 23–29, 2021 | Denver, Colorado | To learn about the cannabis industry |
| 19 | January 28-February 2, 2022 | Washington, D.C. | NGA Winter meeting |
| 20 | March 31-April 7, 2022 | Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. | Attended Women's NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis to see Aliyah Boston followed by official meetings in Washington, D.C. |
| 21 | April 12–19, 2022 | Washington, D.C., Miami, Florida | Attended National Conference for Workforce Development in D.C. and spent Easter with family in Miami. |
| 22 | March 27-April 1, 2023 | Taiwan | [29] |
| 23 | May 2, 2023 | Boston | Attended Boston Red Sox Game.[30] |
| 24 | July 18, 2023 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Attended Basketball event in Las Vegas, Nevada[31] |
| 25 | September 12, 2023 | New York | Attended New York Jets Game. |
| 26 | September 19, 2023 - October 2, 2023 | Chicago, Illinois | Took government officials on trip to discuss marijuana and other matters.[32] |
| 27 | November 20–26, 2023 | Location and Reason for Expenditures Undisclosed to Public[33] |
Bryan lives in Government House in Christiansted on St. Croix. In March 2019, the West Indian Company authorized monthly rent payments of $3,500 for a condo where Bryan would stay while on St. Thomas on behalf of his request.[34]
In May 2023, court filings by JPMorgan revealed Bryan allegedly suggested Jeffrey Epstein donate $50,000 to certain local schools, $30,000 to the VI Little League and a $25,000 private gift to his inaugural committee in 2018. He was deposed on June 6 in New York.[35]
He fired Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, who had vigorously prosecuted Epstein-related cases, in December 2022. In July 2023, "George testified under oath that Bryan had personally lobbied her in 2019 to issue a special waiver to the territory’s sex offender law so that Epstein could travel freely, without special notifications or restrictions."[36]
The FBI arrested both of Bryan's parents on charges of stealing various expensive items after Hurricane Hugo devastated St. Croix.[37] Bryan and his wife, Yolanda Cabodevilla, have been married since 1998. They have two daughters, Aliyah and Sumuyah. In November 2023, Bryan filed for divorce from Yolanda and requested that the United States Virgin Islands Superior Court seal the case in its entirety. The sitting judge, who will be up for reappointment to the bench by Bryan in 2024, granted the request and sealed all proceedings.[38]
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