CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Albert Bryan, Jr on Thursday announced Jenifer O’Neal as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), rounding out his financial team which includes the Commissioner of the Department of Finance, Kirk Callwood and Director of the Internal Revenue Bureau (IRB) Joel Lee. The governor also announced Daryl George, Sr. as Director of the Virgin Islands Fire Service.
O’Neal, a finance executive with over 25 of years of expertise, is a former Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and with in-depth policy knowledge and experience managing components of the territory’s budget. She also served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Human Services, where she conducted analyses of federal funds awarded to the department and was employed by the Government of British Virgin Islands as a Senior Policy Analyst.
O’Neal has also served as an adjunct professor both at the University of the Virgin Islands and at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in Tortola. She holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Towson University-University of Baltimore and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Baltimore, Maryland.
“We are at a critical point in the territory’s history, given our financial challenges, and our administration has put together a financial team that is implementing a comprehensive financial strategy to utilize the key functions of the Department of Finance, OMB and IRB to right-the-course of the territory’s fiscal standing. We have the right people in place, and I thank Ms. O’Neal for her willingness to serve the people of the Virgin Islands in our administration,” Governor Bryan said.
Governor Bryan also announced Daryl A. George Sr. as Director of the Virgin Islands Fire Service (VIFS) Thursday.
George, a veteran firefighter with 20 years experience is a former Assistant Director of the Virgin Islands Fire Service and former Special Assistant to the Director of the Fire Service and Program Coordinator of the Junior Fighter Corps from 1997 through 2014.
“I appreciate Mr. George’s enthusiasm to serve,” Bryan said. “I look forward to him leading the Virgin Islands Fire Service in a collaborative working relationship with our Commissioner of Health and the Director of the Virgin Islands EMS. This collaboration will move the merger of Fire and EMS forward, and to improve our emergency response times and overall efficiency within our VIEMS and VIFS.”
George has extensive training in the areas of Fire Service Management, Emergency Operations, and Incident Command. During his tenure at the VIFS, he played an integral role in the construction of the Emile Berry and Omar E. Brown Fire Stations, and the establishment of two warehouses for ladder apparatuses in the St. Croix and St. Thomas districts. He also played a key role in the acquisition of office space for the Arson and Prevention Unit on St. John and many initiatives to enhance the Fire Service Operation territory-wide.
