Acting Education Commissioner Donna Frett-Gregory will be the territory’s next full-time commissioner of education, if the Senate approves her nomination, Gov. John deJongh Jr. announced in a statement Monday.
"I am very pleased that Donna Frett-Gregory has agreed to be nominated to the position of Commissioner of Education," deJongh said in an Oct. 21 letter to Senate President Shawn-Michael Malone. "She has an outstanding record of service to the Department of Education and a strong commitment to the children of the Territory. She is very skilled in management and accounting, and has a sharp analytical mind. With her experience, knowledge and dedication, I feel she is eminently qualified for this critical position.
"The improvement and development of our educational systems has been one of the top priorities of my Administration, and I know that Ms. Frett-Gregory will continue to build upon the progress that has been made to date. In fact, she implemented many of the enhanced systems in the department over the last seven years as a valuable member of the Department of Education.”
Frett-Gregory has been the acting commissioner since May, when Commissioner LaVerne Terry resigned. She held the post in an acting capacity several times between 2007 and 2008, before taking the post on a more full-time basis this year.
From February 2008 to April 2013, she held the post of assistant commissioner of operations. Before that, Frett-Gregory held the position of deputy commissioner for fiscal and administrative services, which encompassed oversight for the territorial operations of Federal Grants and Audit, Budget Control, Business Administration, Computer Operations, and Property and Auxiliary Services divisions, as well as the warehouse.
Frett-Gregory has more than 20 years of public financial and administration experience. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of the Virgin Islands and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Morgan State University. She was an elected member of the V.I. Board of Education from January 1997 to January 2000.