Albert Bryan (politician)

Albert Bryan Jr. (born February 21, 1968) is a Virgin Islander politician who is the ninth governor of the United States Virgin Islands, since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party.^[1] Prior to being elected, Bryan served as Commissioner of the Department of Labor.

Albert Bryan
9th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2019
Lieutenant	Tregenza Roach
Preceded by	Kenneth Mapp
Personal details
Born	Albert Bryan Jr. (1968-02-21) February 21, 1968 (age 55) St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Yolanda Cabodevilla
Children	2
Residence	Government House
Education	Wittenberg University (BA) University of the Virgin Islands (MBA)

Early life and professional career

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 later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix Campus in 2003.^[2]

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.^[3]

2018 gubernatorial election

In April 2018, Bryan officially announced his candidacy for governor and chose Tregenza Roach as his running mate.^[4] They won the August 4 Democratic primary earning 39.23% of the vote to defeat former Finance commissioner Angel E. Dawson Jr. and former Senator Allison "Allie" Petrus.^[5] Bryan led the 2018 general election with 38% of the vote and won the runoff defeating incumbent governor Kenneth Mapp with over 55% of the vote. He became the second Democrat to unseat a sitting governor since Charles W. Turnbull in 1998.^[6]

2022 gubernatorial election

Bryan launched his re-election bid for a second term on May 11, 2022.^[7] In the August 6 primary, Bryan defeated Kent Bernier Sr. with 65.04% of the vote. He won the November 8 general election against Senator Kurt Vialet and two other candidates, while receiving 56% of the vote.^[8]

Political career

Inauguration

 

Bryan takes oath of office as the 9th governor.

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. Prior to the ceremony, Bryan and his family attended a inaugural mass at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The inauguration proceed with military parades and inaugural balls held on all three islands.^[9]

First term

Bryan requested an extension to the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program which FEMA approved.^[10] Due to shortage of psychiatrists, Bryan issued an executive order declaring a mental healthcare state of emergency in the territory.^[11] In April 2019, Bryan stated a new major hotel will be on St. Croix during his first term.^[12] Bryan paid off all outstanding debt to the Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority for the current year of 2019 and prior years leading to the government being up to date on payments.^[13] Bryan launched the Envision Tomorrow program to assist homeowners and landlords whose properties were damaged by two hurricanes in 2017.^[14]

A member of the National Governors Association, Bryan was appointed in February 2021, to co-chair the NGA Task Force on Community Renewal.^[15] On August 27, 2021, Bryan filed a lawsuit to prevent the implementation of Act 8472 which reduces the WAPA board from its current nine members to seven.^[16]

COVID-19 pandemic

On March 13, 2020, Bryan declared a state of emergency with the arrival of coronavirus.^[17] 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.^[18] 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 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 Covid surge, Bryan reinstated his “Stay at Home” phase which shuttered non-essential businesses including churches and school campuses for two weeks. On September 8, Bryan stated 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, Bryan requested the legislature an 30-day extension of the current State of Emergency to March 8. In June 2021, Bryan announced his Vax-to-Win lottery incentive. On July 26, 2021, Bryan 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 remains in place at ports of entry, medical facilities, nursing homes and schools. In June 2022, Bryan issued an executive order extending the Covid-19 pandemic state of emergency until June 30, 2022.

What is your overall opinion on Governor Albert Bryan’s handling of COVID-19?

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Respondents	Approve	Disapprove
VI Tech Stack	April 4-5, 2020	600	± 3.99%	Territory-wide St. Thomas-St. John St. Croix	59% 63% 54%	25% 25% 32%

Proposed legislation

• January 28, 2019: A bill allowing the attorney general to serve for six-year terms.
• October 25, 2019: The Virgin Islands Emergency Medical Services System Act to merge Fire Services with EMS.
• December 2, 2019: An amendment called “Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act” to the enacted Medicinal Cannabis Patient Care Act
• January 16, 2020: The Virgin Islands Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Act
• May 19, 2020: Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act^[19] (resubmitted amended version to 33rd Legislature)
• August 11, 2020: Matching Fund Securitization Act
• August 15, 2022: A bill to increase the amount of funding for retroactive wages from $25 million to $40 million to repay government employees. (Senate approved: 08/30/2022 ; Enacted by Governor: 09/16/2022)

Travels

No.	Date(s)	Destination	Reason
1	January 17-18, 2019	Miami, Florida	Met with cruise ship executives of Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Disney Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises
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	Met with Cigna
11	July 31-August 2, 2019	New York	Unknown meetings
12	September 20-22, 2019	Washington, D.C.	Meetings with federal agencies
13	October 25-November 9, 2019	Washington, D.C.	Meetings with members of Congress and federal agencies
14	December 5-9, 2019	Washington, D.C.	Job for America’s Graduates annual meeting
15	February 4, 2020	Tortola	Inter-Virgin Islands Council conference
16	February 7-11, 2020	Washington, D.C.	NGA Winter meeting
17	July 8-12, 2021	Atlanta, Georgia	Hosted a government job recruitment fair for Virgin Islanders living abroad to return home.
18	July 27-August 1, 2021	Miami, Florida	Met with transportation and shipping companies
19	October 23-29, 2021	Denver, Colorado	To learn about the cannabis industry
20	January 28-February 2, 2022	Washington, D.C.	NGA Winter meeting
21	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.
22	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.

Residence

Bryan currently 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.^[20]

Conflict of interest

In July 2020, it was revealed that Avera, a company co-owned by Bryan’s oldest daughter and his friend, Michael K. Pemberton received a $1 million no-bid contract from Dept. of Health for Covid-19 contact tracing although no experience.^[21] That same month, the V.I. Housing Finance Authority board awarded a $2.1 million contract to The Strategy Group firm owned by John Engerman, a close friend to Bryan who served as his 2018 campaign manager.^[22]

Personal life

Bryan and his wife, Yolanda Cabodevilla, have been married since 1998. They have two daughters.^[23] On April 20, 2022, Bryan tested positive for Covid-19 following recent trips in Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida.^[24]

References

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albert Bryan.

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Albert Bryan.

1. "Governor Albert Bryan Jr". Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands.
2. "Governor Bryan". Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
3. "Governor Bryan". Government of the United States Virgin Islands. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
4. "Albert Bryan Picks Sen. Tregenza Roach as Gubernatorial Running Mate". St. Thomas Source. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
5. "Albert Bryan And Tregenza Roach Win Democratic Primary". VI Consortium. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
6. "Albert Bryan Becomes Ninth Elected Governor Of US Virgin Islands". VI Consortium. November 20, 2018.
7. "Bryan and Roach announce bid for reelection". Virgin Islands Daily News. 2022-05-11.
8. "Bryan Routs Vialet in Gubernatorial Race, Winning Reelection". VI Consortium. 2022-11-08.
9. "Bryan, Roach take oath in Emancipation Garden".
10. "FEMA Approves Bryan's Request For Extension Of Home Repair Program". VI Consortium. January 30, 2019.
11. "Gov. Bryan Declares 'Mental Healthcare Emergency' Due To Shortage Of Psychiatrists". Virgin Islands Free Press. March 10, 2019.
12. "Governor Bryan Says New, Major Hotel Will Be Built on St. Croix During His First Term In Office". VI Consortium. April 11, 2019.
13. "Government's Outstanding Debt to WAPA Paid Off, Bryan Says". St. Thomas Source. August 14, 2019.
14. "Governor Bryan, ODR And VIHFA Announce Envision Tomorrow". VI Consortium. September 19, 2019.
15. "NGA Community Renewal Task Force Appoints Bryan as Co-Chair". St. Thomas Source. March 1, 2021.
16. "Bryan Sues to Stop WAPA Board Changes". St. Thomas Source. September 2, 2021.
17. "Gov. Bryan Declares State of Emergency, Cancels St. Patrick's Day Parade, Says Carnival 'Will Most Likely' Be Canceled in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic". VI Consortium. March 13, 2020.
18. "Bryan Announces Cancelation of In-Person School Classes for Remainder of School Year; 'Virtual' Ceremonies Planned For 2020 Graduates; Coronavirus Cases Rise to 45". VI Consortium. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
19. "N/A" (PDF).
20. "WICO board OKs $42,000 lease to house Bryan, family". The Virgin Islands Daily News. March 16, 2019.
21. "Company Co-Owned by Governor Bryan's Daughter and Friend Awarded $1 Million No-Bid Contract". VI Consortium. July 22, 2020.
22. "Firm led by governor's pal gets $2M contract". The Virgin Islands Daily News. July 24, 2020.
23. "Governor Albert Bryan Jr". Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
24. "Governor Tests Positive For COVID-19". St. Croix Source. April 20, 2022.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Donna Christian-Christensen	Democratic nominee for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands 2018, 2022	Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Kenneth Mapp	Governor of the United States Virgin Islands 2019–present	Incumbent