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             Virgin Islands Port Authority            
ST. THOMAS | ST. CROIX | ST. JOHN                                   UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS
Gateways to America's Caribbean

 

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Virgin Islands Port Authority Governing Board

VIPA Board Meeting PhotoThe Virgin Islands Port Authority is governed by a Board of Directors which sets policy. The executive director is responsible for implementing these policies and overseeing the day-to-day operation of the agency.

The Board is comprised of nine members who represent St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. Four members of the governor's cabinet sit on the Board. They are: the commissioner of the Department of Tourism, the attorney general, the commissioner of the Department of Public Works and the Chairperson of the Economic Development Authority Board. These members serve at the will of the governor. The five other Board positions are reserved for private citizens who are appointed by the governor and are subject to the approval of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. Two of these members must come from St. Croix, two from St. Thomas and one from St. John. They are appointed to a three-year term of office and each is eligible for re-appointment.

Board meetings are usually held on the third Wednesday of each month and are open to the public under the Sunshine Law of the Territory.

To contact the VIPA Board write to:
Mr. Cassan Pancham
Chairman, VIPA Governing Board
Virgin Islands Port Authority
P. O. Box 301707
St. Thomas, VI  00803-1707

Or Call:
Julice Harley-Powell
Tel: (340) 774-1629 ext. 6601
Fax: (340) 774-0025
E-mail: jharley@viport.com

 

Governing Board Members

Mr. Cassan Pancham
Chairman of the Board
Private Citizen Member Representing St. Thomas
TERM:  29 May 2007 - 28 May 2010

Cassan Pancham has worked in the banking industry for the last 27 years. He is currently the executive vice president/Eastern Caribbean region of First Bank Puerto Rico. He is also the president and director of First Insurance Agency, along with First Express. Pancham has held various leadership roles in a number of community organizations. He was the president of the U.S. Virgin Islands Bankers Association, president of the STT/STJ Chamber of Commerce, a treasurer and founding member of the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity and a past member of the USVI Governor’s Committee for Economic Development and Strategy.

 

CASSAN PANCHAM

Cassan
Pancham

Mrs. Beverly Nicholson-Doty
Vice Chairwoman of the Board
Commissioner, Department of Tourism
TERM: Ex-officio

Beverly Nicholson-Doty is the Commissioner of the USVI Department of Tourism.  Nicholson-Doty formerly served as the director of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel & Tourism Association.  In addition to an extensive background in marketing, Nicholson was also selected as Executive Director of the Year in 2000 by the Caribbean Hotel Association.  She was elected to three consecutive terms as vice president of the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives.

 

Beverly
Nicholson-Doty

 

Darryl A. Smalls, P.E.
Secretary of the Board
Commissioner, Department of Public Works
Term: Ex-officio

Department of Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls has served over 15 years in senior operations management, including project leadership in administrative, engineering, and electrical capacities at the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital and the Schneider Regional Medical Center in St. Thomas.  For the past four years, Smalls has been vice president of facility management and capital development at Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he presided over the construction, procurement, and financing of the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute.  Smalls is licensed as a certified professional engineer, electrical contractor and master electrician and is a past president of the Alvin McBean East Little League.

 

Darryl A. Smalls, P.E.

 

Mr. Robert O'Connor, Jr.
Private Citizen Member Representing St. John
Term: 11 July 2005 - 11 July 2008

A native of St. John, O'Connor is also an entrepreneur and business owner.  He owns and manages O'Connor Car Rentals and St. John Development Corp.  He also served as a senator in the 17th and 18th Virgin Islands Legislature.  In addition, O'Connor served as director of equipment maintenance for the Department of Public Works.  He has a diploma in equipment maintenance from Lincoln Technical Institute in New Jersey.  He is currently a member of the VI Commission on Judicial Disabilities, the Chamber of Commerce and the Virgin Islands Girl Scout Board.  He is also a charter member of the St. John Lions Club. O'Connor is a long-time board member and was recently re-appointed to the board for his fourth term in September 2008.

 

ROBERT O'CONNOR, JR.

Robert
O'Connor, Jr.

 

Mr. Gordon A. Finch
Private Citizen Representing St. Croix
Term: 17 April 2007 - 16 April 2010

Gordon Finch, a native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, previously served the VI Port Authority as its director from September 1991 through December 2002.  He was also a commissioner of the VI Department of Public Works for four years, and has owned and managed an engineering consulting business.  Finch has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Master of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

 

Gordon A.
Finch

 

Albert Bryan, Jr.
Chairman, Economic Development Authority Board and Commissioner, Department of Labor
Term: Ex-officio

Albert Bryan, Jr. is the Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Labor. He is a member of the Port Authority board in his capacity as the Chairman of the Economic Development Authority Board.  His employment history include positions at the Hovensa Oil Refinery, the VI Housing Authority and at Innovative Communication Corporation.

Bryan is also active in community affairs. He was selected by the Congressional Delegate to serve on the Black Caucus Convention.  He has served on the Executive Board of the Young Democrats. In 2002, he co-founded Generation Now and has served as its Vice President. The organization has undertaken the mission of educating the public on key political issues, offering mentoring, performing community service and providing leadership seminars.

 

Albert
Bryan, Jr.

 

Yvonne E. L. Thraen, Ph.D.
Private Citizen Representing St. Thomas
Term: 05 Oct 2006 - 06 Oct. 2009

Dr. Yvonne Thraen was appointed to the VI Port Authority Board by former Gov. Charles Turnbull.   Thraen is a program liaison for V.I. projects funded by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture's graduate school - the International Institute. 

She has more than 30 years of experience in government planning, policy making and administration.  Thraen was an assistant to Gov. Alexander Farrelly in March 1987, and also to Gov. Roy Schneider until her retirement in January 1997.

Thraen serves on the University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees and on the board of Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands.  Her civil service also includes directorship of the V.I. Youth Services Administration.  She has doctorate in social welfare from Brandeis University.
 

Yvonne
Thraen, Ph.D.

 

Vincent Frazer, Esq.
Attorney General
Term: Ex-officio

Vincent Frazer is the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands and an ex-officio member of the VIPA Board.  Prior to his appointment, he was a managing partner in the Law Offices of Frazer and Williams from 1993 to 2005.  In 1984, he served as the V.I. Port Authority's staff attorney and left four years later to enter private practice. He has also served on the Government Employee Retirement System Board.

Frazer has a Criminal Justice and Political Science degree from Carthage College in Wisconsin and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law.  He is admitted before the District Court, the V.I. Superior Court, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Frazer is also a member of the V.I. Bar Association and a member of various legal organizations.
 

Victor
Frazer, Esq.

 

 

 

 

VIPA Governing Board Committees

Finance Committee

  1. Cassan Pancham - Chair
  2. Albert Bryan, Jr.
  3. Hector Peguero
  4. Vincent Frazer, Esq.

Property Committee

  1. Vincent Frazer - Chair
  2. Gordon A. Finch
  3. Hector Peguero
  4. Robert O'Connor, Jr.
  5. Darryl A. Smalls, P.E.

Projects & Operations Committee

  1. Gordon A. Finch - Chair
  2. Dr. Yvonne E. L. Thraen
  3. Robert O'Connor, Jr.
  4. Darryl A. Smalls, P.E.
  5. Beverly Nicholson-Doty

Personnel Committee

  1. Darryl A. Smalls - Chair
  2. Vincent Frazer
  3. Beverly Nicholson-Doty
  4. Albert Bryan, Jr.

Marketing Committee

  1. Beverly Nicholson-Doty - Chair
  2. Dr. Yvonne E. L. Thraen
  3. Cassan Pancham
  4. Albert Bryan, Jr.

Board Staff

(1.) Internal Auditor
     (Position presently vacant)

 

Virgin Islands Port Authority
8074 Lindbergh Bay
P.O. Box 301707
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands  00803-1707
Tel: (340) 774-1629  Fax: (340) 774-0025
info@viport.com / www.viport.com 

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