Albert Bryan Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Albert Bryan
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|---|---|
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| 9th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 |
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| Lieutenant | Tregenza Roach |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Mapp |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Albert Bryan Jr.
February 21, 1968 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Yolanda Cabodevilla
(m. 1998; sep. 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Government House |
| Education | Wittenberg University (BA) University of the Virgin Islands (MBA) |
Albert Bryan Jr., born on February 21, 1968, is a politician from the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is currently the ninth Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a role he has held since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming governor, he worked as the Commissioner for the Department of Labor from 2007 to 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bryan was born on the island of St. Thomas. He was the oldest of five sons born to Albert Sr. and Genevieve Bryan. He grew up in the Savan area of Charlotte Amalie, which is the capital of the territory.
As a teenager, Bryan moved to St. Croix. He finished high school at St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School in 1985. He then went to Wittenberg University, where he earned a degree in economics in 1989. Later, in 2003, he received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix Campus.
Career Before Governor
In 2007, Governor John de Jongh appointed Albert Bryan as the Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Labor. This meant he was in charge of the department that helps people find jobs and deals with worker rights.
When Governor de Jongh's time in office ended in 2015, Bryan left his government role. He then worked in the private sector. He was the CEO and President of Aabra Group, a company that gives advice to other businesses. He also led Master Strategies, a company that helps find people for jobs. Bryan was also the executive director for the Virgin Islands part of Junior Achievement. This program teaches young people about business and how to manage money.
Running for Governor in 2018
In April 2018, Bryan officially announced he wanted to become governor. He chose Tregenza Roach to be his running mate, who would become Lieutenant Governor if they won. Their campaign slogan was Change Course Now.
They won the Democratic primary election on August 4, 2018. They received 39.23% of the votes. In the main election, Bryan led with 38% of the vote. He then won against the current governor, Kenneth Mapp, in a second round of voting. Bryan received over 55% of the votes in this runoff election. He was the second Democrat to win against a sitting governor since 1998.
Running for Reelection in 2022
Bryan decided to run for governor again on May 11, 2022. He won the primary election on August 6, 2022, with 65.04% of the votes. On November 8, 2022, he won the general election. He defeated Senator Kurt Vialet and two other candidates, getting 56% of the votes. This meant he would continue to serve as governor.
Political Career as Governor
Albert Bryan Jr. officially became the 9th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands on January 7, 2019. The ceremony took place at the David Monsanto Bandstand in Emancipation Gardens on St. Thomas. Before the ceremony, Bryan and his family went to a special church service. After the inauguration, there were military parades and special parties on all three islands.
First 100 Days in Office
When Governor Bryan took office, he quickly announced his main staff members. He promised to have his full team of cabinet members ready within 90 days. He also asked the FEMA for more time for a program that helped with temporary power after storms. This request was approved.
Bryan also made a change at Government House on St. Croix. He ordered that special reserved parking signs be removed from Queen Cross Street. This ended a practice that had been in place for 20 years. Because there were not enough mental health doctors, he declared a state of emergency for mental healthcare in the territory. In March 2019, Bryan and his family moved into Government House on St. Croix.
Water and Power Authority (WAPA)
In 2019, Governor Bryan made sure the government paid all its outstanding bills to the Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (WAPA). This made the government's payments to WAPA completely up to date. In August 2019, he announced that four new power generators would be bought. The goal was to lower electricity bills for people. In April 2024, Bryan declared a state of emergency for WAPA because of many power outages.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
When the coronavirus arrived, Governor Bryan declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020. He then made rules to help keep people safe.
- On March 19, he limited gatherings to 10 people.
- Starting March 25, he ordered all non-essential businesses to close and asked residents to stay at home.
- On April 8, he postponed in-person public school classes for the rest of the 2019–2020 school year.
- Later, he required travelers coming to the territory from certain states to show a negative COVID-19 test.
- He also closed beaches early during a holiday weekend and made bars and nightclubs close at midnight.
- In August, he asked the legislature to extend the state of emergency.
- During a surge in cases, Bryan brought back the "Stay at Home" phase. This meant non-essential businesses, churches, and school campuses closed for two weeks.
- On September 8, he said that all travelers coming in must show a negative PCR test or quarantine for 14 days.
- In June 2021, Bryan announced a "Vax-to-Win" lottery to encourage people to get vaccinated.
- On March 14, 2022, he lifted the indoor mask mandate. However, masks were still required at places like airports, medical facilities, and schools.
- In June 2022, he extended the COVID-19 state of emergency until June 30, 2022.
| 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% |
LGBT Rights
On January 19, 2023, Governor Bryan signed the Equality Act. This law makes it illegal to treat people unfairly because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In June 2024, Bryan declared June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. He also introduced a new law that would allow people to change their gender on official documents.
Homeownership Programs
In October 2022, Bryan announced the V.I. Slice homeownership program. This program aims to help more people in the Virgin Islands own their own homes.
Images for kids
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Governor Albert Bryan Jr.
