L2R: Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach met with members of 35th Legislature Majority Caucus in June 2023. Photo: Government House

“Morehouse University has invited him to deliver a keynote address on the importance of civic engagement,” said Mr. Motta. “This is a tremendous honor, and the Governor is excited to represent the United States Virgin Islands at such a prestigious event.”

Morehouse College's Crown Forum, according to the university's website, is “a communal tradition…that extends from the 19th century founding of the School to the 21st-century Institution of today.” The mandatory events create a space for exposing students to social justice considerations and concerns.

Recent Crown Forum speakers include Princeton University professor and eminent national scholar Eddie Glaude Jr., and diversity, inclusion and equity expert Shaun Harper.

Lieutenant Governor to assume Governor’s duties

At the press briefing, Mr. Motta announced that Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach would assume the governor's duties during Mr. Bryan's absence. However, the Lieutenant Governor's Office had confirmed over the weekend via press release that Mr. Roach departed on Sunday to attend the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Southeast Zone Meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia. Following this engagement, he is set to participate in the Houston Virgin Islands Association (HVIA) Tenth Anniversary Celebration in Houston, Texas.

As commissioner of Insurance for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Roach holds membership in the NAIC Southeast Zone, a coalition that includes 12 states and two territories, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The NAIC, a regulatory body that sets insurance standards across the nation, covers the lieutenant governor’s participation in annual conferences and meetings, where state and federal policies are discussed, and regulatory strategies are developed.

After his NAIC engagement, Mr. Roach will attend the HVIA Tenth Anniversary Celebration, where he has been invited to deliver keynote remarks. The Houston Virgin Islands Association, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting Virgin Islands culture and supporting the Virgin Islands and Houston communities through various projects, such as back-to-school drives, hurricane relief efforts, and scholarship awards.

The lieutenant governor is expected to return to the Virgin Islands on Monday, November 4, 2024. In the meantime, during the absence of both Messrs Bryan and Roach, Senate President Novelle E. Francis Jr. will fulfill the duties of lieutenant governor as specified by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands.