Gov. Kenneth Mapp appointed St. Thomas attorney Terri Griffiths to serve as acting V.I. attorney general Friday, replacing Attorney General designee Soraya Diase-Coffelt, who resigned Thursday citing a lack of control over staffing at the V.I. Department of Justice. (See related links below)
Griffiths will serve as acting attorney general until a permanent person is appointed, according to a statement from Government House. She will then become the territory’s solicitor general.
Griffiths has practiced law in the territory since 1996 and has a background in complex litigation such as fraud, white collar crimes, toxic tort and zoning, and has handled numerous IRS tax controversies, according to Government House. She has served as a staff attorney for a federal judge in the state of Florida, and a probation and parole officer in Illinois, South Carolina and Missouri.
She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where she received her bachelor’s and law degree, graduating cum laude. Griffiths received a master’s degree in law and taxation from the University of Florida – Fredric G. Levin College of Law, according to Government House.
Jamila Russell Named ADA Coordinator
Mapp also appointed radio host and former Senate candidate Jamila Russell to be the territorial Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. Russell will be responsible for coordinating programs and ensuring the territory’s compliance with the federal ADA, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other federal and local laws pertaining to people with disabilities.
According to Government House, Russell brings to the office practical and first-hand experience dealing with disability issues.
"As a parent advocate, Russell is keenly aware of many of the needs of the disabled community," the administration said in a statement Friday. Russell will begin meeting with non-profit groups and agencies next week to hear their concerns and to forge relationships that will build and promote the nondiscrimination requirements of the ADA, according to Government House
Russell is the mother of two boys, a graduate of the Good Hope School and attended the University of the Virgin Islands.
Franz Christian appointed LEPC Head
Mapp appointed Franz Christian to lead the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, Friday, according to Government House. The LEPC is responsible for the federal funding and grant writing needs for the law enforcement community.
A former V.I. police commissioner, Christian brings knowledge and experience to the commission, according to Government House.
Christian is a graduate of St Joseph’s High School on St. Croix. He received a degree in police science from the College of the Virgin Islands, and studied business administration. Christian joined the Virgin Islands Police Department in 1974. Working his way up from police officer, he held each classified and unclassified rank in the department. Christian also is a Vietnam veteran.
