On Tuesday, the Committee on Rules and Judiciary forwarded two nominations – Kyza Callwood to the University of Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park Board and Julio Rhymer as director of the Office of Management and Budget – favorably to the full Senate.
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. nominated Rhymer, while the University of the Virgin Islands board of trustees nominated Callwood.
Neither of them received any criticism or negative vote, and they appear to be headed toward confirmation at the Senate Committee of the Whole on Wednesday.
Sen. Carla Joseph said she would vote for Rhymer 10 times if she could. Sen. Franklin Johnson said he was impressed with Callwood’s work ethic and that his resume answered all his questions.
Callwood holds a doctorate from UVI and has been the Bureau of Corrections’ chief strategic officer since February 2021. He has also been a business communication instructor at UVI since 2016 and a marketing ambassador for Diamonds International on St. Thomas for two years.
Averricia D. Williams, a retired public servant, testified, “Much of Dr. Callwood’s success thus far has come from careful planning and hard work. Knowing that he wanted to make a significant difference in the lives of his fellow citizens, he prepared himself by pursuing postsecondary education at the UVI, where he obtained not one, but four academic degrees.”
Rhymer testified that he had over 30 years in the financial industry and over 20 years in public administration and financial management. He served as the chief financial officer for the V.I. Housing Finance Authority and the Water and Power Authority, and he was also the director of the OMB from January 2018 to November 2018.
Among the initiatives he told senators he plans to implement this second tenure at OMB were streamlining budget processes, fostering interagency collaboration, establishing performance metrics, conducting a comprehensive spending review, conducting a federal grants review, and forming an asset management and inventory compliance unit within the federal grants management unit within OMB.
Finally, he outlined plans to create a succession plan within the agency to groom future leaders.
Sen. Novelle Francis told Callwood, “We are rooting for you.”
Sens. Donna Frett-Gregory, Angel Bolques, Jr., Francis, Kenneth Gittens, Carla Joseph, Milton Potter, Franklin Johnson, Diane Capehart, Ray Fonseca, and Marise James attended Tuesday’s meeting.
