Bryan Confirms Karl Knight As Chief Of Staff, David Bornn As Chief Legal Counsel, Sanes As St. Croix Administrator

Governor Albert Bryan has confirmed a number of senior staff officials, most of them already revealed by The Virgin Islands Consortium. The cabinet members, among them Kirk Callwood, who will be revealed as Mr. Bryan’s pick for Finance commissioner, are expected to be announced during a press conference set for 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Arthur Abel Complex (Old Danish School) in Frederiksted.

Mr. Bryan confirmed Senator Sammuel Sanes as St. Croix administrator, David A. Bornn as chief legal counsel, and Karl Knight as chief of staff — all names that were revealed in The Consortium story. Additionally, Mr. Bryan named Kevin Rodriguez as deputy chief of staff, and educator Avery Lewis as administrator for St. Thomas and Water Island. Also announced was Richard Motta as the Bryan administration’s communications director.

According to the release, Mr. Knight is a former director of the Virgin Islands Energy Office and a public policy advi-sor with experience advising the legislative and executive branches on energy and other policy matters. He is a graduate of Morgan State University.

Mr. Rodrigues is a former director of the Department of Personnel under Governor Charles Turnbull and most recently served as the chair of the Government Personnel and Opera-tions assessment cluster for the Bryan/Roach transition team.

And Mr. Motta most recently served as the district press secretary to Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the Univer-sity of the Virgin Islands, is a graduate of the St. Croix Central High School and a vet-eran of the United States Air Force.

According to Mr. Bornn’s profile on Kellfer, he is a native-born Virgin Islander with deep roots in the community. The profile says he was born in St. Thomas in 1952, attended All Saints Cathedral School, graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, CT with a B.A. degree, and received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1981. He was admitted to the V.I. Bar and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1981. Mr. Bornn was subsequently admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1988. He has been a member of the V.I Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

According to Kellfer, Mr. Bornn was formerly the principal member and manager of The Bornn Firm, P.L.L.C., which is an outgrowth of one of the oldest law firms in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its history is based in a law firm established in 1952 by Edith L. Bornn and continued through multiple variations culminating in The Bornn Firm, Kellfer says.

The release said Mr. Bryan has been meticulously reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, and is close to finalizing members of his cabinet.

Feature Image: Karl Knight speaks as Governor Albert Bryan listens during a meeting. (Credit: Bryan-Roach Transition Team)