Senate Names Three to Boards, Honors Three Others

The Legislature unanimously approved three new members to the cannabis, chiropractic, and conser-vation boards, and honored two other Virgin Islanders for their work. It also recognized a half-century of excellence by organizers of the territory’s annual Agrifest.

Diane E. Brooks has been a driving force behind the recycling efforts in St. Croix. Senators named her to the long-dormant Virgin Islands Conservation District. Sen. Marvin Blyden said it was the first addition to the board since 2002.

Bradley Keys was added to the V.I. Board of Chiropractic Examiners. He has practiced on St. Thomas since 2015 and is the owner of Tradewinds Chiropractic in St. Thomas. Keys is a member of the International Chiropractors Association, the Academy of Chiropractic and the U.S. Virgin Islands Winter Olympic Committee. Keys holds 10 post-graduate diplomas including three in primary spine care and mild traumatic brain injury/traumatic brain injury. His additional training includes multiple courses on primary spine care, neurology of ligament pathology, several in orthopedic testing and numerous certifications on spinal biomechanics engineering.

Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Richard Evangelista was added to the Cannabis Ad-visory Board. Evangelista is a St. Croix native who graduated from Good Hope School Currently. Previously he served as the territory’s assistant attorney general. He has been general counsel, acting human resources and acting chief executive officer at the Juan F. Luis Hospital. From 2012 to 2014 he served as senior policy advisor for Gov. John deJongh Jr.

St. Croix native Kemit-Amon Lewis was honored for his work as a marine scientist, environmental advocate, tennis player, scuba diver, choreographer, photographer, and world traveler. With degrees in Marine Science, Lewis worked with the Virgin Islands government, the St. Croix Foundation, and the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Then, as coral conservation manager with The Nature Conservancy, he developed a coral reef restoration program throughout the Caribbe-an and the world, including Cuba and China.