STATEMENT
OF
CAROLYN P. HERMON-PERCELL
NOMINEE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
BEFORE
COMMITTEE ON RULES & JUDICIARY
36TH LEGISLATURE
OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
MAY 8, 2025
Good morning to the Committee on Rules and
Judiciary:
Senator
Carla
J.
Joseph,
chair;
Senator
Kenneth L. Gittens, vice chair; Senator Milton L. Potter;
Senator Avery L. Lewis; Senator Angel L. Bolques, Jr.;
Senator Alma Francis 1-leyliger; and Senator Clifford A.
Joseph, other members of the
36th Legislature of the
Virgin Islands, legislative staff, and the people of the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
Pursuant to Virgin Islands Code, tit. 17, § 456, the
Board of Trustees of the University of the Virgin Islands
exercises general management and control of the affairs
of the
university.
The
UVI
Board of Trustees
is
comprised of seventeen voting members, nine of whom
are appointed by the Governor with the advice and
consent of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.
In this
Statement of Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, iD., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8. 2025
Page 1 of7
regard, my name is Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, and I
appear before this Committee as a Governor’s nominee
to the IJVI Board of Trustees. I thank the Honorable
Governor ALbert Bryan, Jr. for nominating me.
I believe each member of the Committee has
received
the
packet
from
Government House
that
contains my resume, questionnaire, and other material
pertaining
to
my
educational
and
professional
background and qualifications. Those submissions detail
that I was born, raised, and live on St. Thomas.
They
show that I have only left my island home for extended
periods
to
attain
post-secondary
and
post-graduate
degrees from Georgetown University and Case Western
Reserve University School of Law, respectively, and that
I also hold a Master of Public Administration degree
Statement of Carolyn P. 1-lermon-Percell, JD., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8. 2025
Page 2 of 7
from UVI. They also show that I have been employed in
the local public and private sectors, with nine years at the
Legislature of the Virgin Islands, two years at the
Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, sixteen years in
private legal practice, then a return to the Superior Court
for two four-year terms as a Magistrate Judge, Division
of St. Thomas-St. John, to currently serving a five-year
term as the St. Thomas-St. John Commissioner on the
Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission.
However, what might not be conveyed by those
documents and what I want to emphasize is my true
interest in the well-being of the University of the Virgin
Islands.
In all honesty, it was my time at UVI, this
historically Black public university in the Caribbean, that
encouraged me to pursue a legal career.
I met and was
Statement of Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, J.D., MPA
Nominee o the Board of Trustees. University of the Virgin Islands
May 8. 2025
Page 3 of 7
taught by excellent professors, such as Dr. Harold
Lutchrnan
who
chaired
the
MPA
program.
By
demanding my best and demonstrating a true interest in
my learning, Dr. Lutchman sharpened my oral, writing,
and research skills and my analytical thinking and
reasoning.
He bolstered my confidence as an older
student who was married and had a young child. I gained
from the smaller classes offered by UVI where I could
easily interact with professors and foster real friendships
with classmates.
I hold lifetime membership in the UVI Alumni
Association and contribute to fundraising appeals.
I do
not just look at UV1 from a distance but regularly drive
through its Orville E. Kean campus on my way to and
from home, use the UVI Weliness Center, and attend
Statement of Carolyn P. 1-lermon-Percell, J.D., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8, 2025
Page 4 of 7
campus events such as the wonderful production in April
2025 of Murder at Regent Manor by the students of the
UVI Drama Club.
I was fortunate in June 2024 to travel
with UVI Passport to the World to Kenya where, for
approximately two weeks, I had an awesome time with
professors, administrators, and, importantly, students
from the Kean and Albert A. Sheen campuses.
These
students, while on safari drives, when assisting at service
projects, or during meals, shared their experiences at
UVI and their aspirations with me.
I acknowledge that UVI is at a pivotal point with the
recent investiture of Dr. Safiya George, the first alumna
to serve as president, and the launch in March 2025 of
the five-year strategic plan entitled GRAND Momentum-
Charting A Course to Becoming A GRAND Destination
Statement of Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, J.D., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8, 2025
PageS of 7
University Grounded in Excellence. This is occurring as
UVI faces enrollment challenges, cuts in federal funding
that will impact the institution at all levels, and additional
concerns.
While
I
will
have
to
learn
the
role
and
responsibilities of a trustee, I can use my legal education
and years of experience to work with President George
and the other Trustees to prove myself an asset to UVI
and its values and mission. As with all I undertake, I will
give the time and effort needed for the task. I am a Virgin
Islander who wants the best for her community. I do not
shy away from public service. And, I firmly believe in
the power of education, at and for all ages. I want to do
my part for my “alma mater by the sea” to ensure it
Statement of Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, J.D., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8. 2025
Page 6 of 7
grows and continues to
be “Historically American.
Uniquely Caribbean. Globally Interactive.”
I thank the Committee on Rules and Judiciary for its
consideration of my nomination to the UVI Board of
Trustees. I await your questions, and I will answer to the
best of my ability. Thank you.
Statement of’ Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, iD., MPA
Nominee to the Board of Trustees, University of the Virgin Islands
May 8. 2025
Page 7 of 7