Committee Forwards Nominations to Full Senate

Bosede Bruce, the governor’s nominee as commissioner of the Department of Finance, appeared before senators Friday. (Photo by Chaunte Herbert, Legislature of the Virgin Islands)

The Rules and Judiciary Committee gave its stamp of approval Friday to nominees to several boards and to Bosede Bruce to serve as a commissioner of the Department of Finance. The nominees now face one more hurdle – confirmation by the full Senate.

Sen. Milton Potter, who chaired the committee hearing, said he was pleased with the caliber of the nominations Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. was making to fill openings on “critical boards.”

The nominees were Akil Petersen to serve as a member for the Historic Commission, Elizabeth Dumas and Brittany Dawson to serve on the Board of Nurse Licensure, and Dr. Chase Greep to serve on the Board of Dental Examiners.

Dawson told the committee her strength was her involvement with different aspects of health care and her compassion for patients.

Dumas testified, “I look forward to continuing to uphold the high standards of this board and the nursing profession, and to further the mission of increasing access to quality healthcare, all the while reducing health risks.”

Greep told senators, “I have provided dental care at varying levels of dentistry on St. Croix, from public health at Frederiksted Health Care Clinic, to private practices throughout St. Croix. I have gained a great deal of experience on the dental needs and the different challenges that the dental community faces in the territory.”

Peterson, who comes from a family of librarians, said he would preserve the history of the Virgin Islands and also work to expand library services throughout the territory.

Bruce, who appeared last on the agenda, talked about her family’s history on St. John. She was overcome with emotion and had to take a break when she explained how happy she was to have the opportunity to return to the territory and be with her parents as they lived their eighth decade.

Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory told her that for the government to get all the funds it needed audits had to be done on time. Bruce said one of her accomplishments as acting commissioner was to get audits moving forward.