The Island Green Living Association has named Board Vice President Dawn Henry as interim chief executive officer while it searches for a permanent administrator, a press release announced.
Henry, a former commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, will oversee day-to-day operations. She joined the board in 2024. According to the press release, she previously led a department of more than 200 employees and managed a budget of about $30 million.
“There is no one more knowledgeable or dedicated to the environmental wellbeing, and with that the health and welfare of the community, than Dawn,” said Harith Wickrema, president of Island Green Living. “We are fortunate that she is able to commit to a leadership role overseeing operations while she guides strategy over the next few months. Her allegiance to Island Green’s sustainable programming, and interest in expanding the protection of the environment, food security and economic wellbeing, with far reaching education and community engagement in the territory, promise to take the organization to the next level.”
Henry said plastic pollution remains a pressing concern.
“One of the most urgent environmental challenges we face is plastic pollution,” Henry said. “Virgin Islanders deserve clear, accessible information about the environmental and health impacts plastics pose. I believe that Healthy People Build Healthy Environments, and that education is the foundation for informed choices, healthier families, and a more resilient Virgin Islands.”
Island Green Living programs include aluminum and ocean-bound plastics recycling efforts that have diverted more than 5 million cans and 152,000 pounds of plastics from waterways and landfills. The organization also operates the ReSource Depot reuse store, which has redistributed more than 1 million pounds of materials, including construction supplies, furniture and clothing, the press release stated.
The nonprofit also supports food security initiatives, agricultural education, and community advocacy on plastics and other environmental concerns. Its “Ban the Burn” campaign, launched after the 2017 hurricanes, focused on reducing the incineration of vegetative debris, the release stated.
Henry, who was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma School of Law and has practiced environmental law for more than 20 years. During her tenure at DPNR, she oversaw divisions including Environmental Protection, Coastal Zone Management and Fish and Wildlife. She also supported policies addressing plastic use and waste management, the release stated.
She currently leads Nehemiah Project LLC, an environmental consultancy, and the Virgin Islands Environmental Association, and serves as a senior advisor to Beyond Plastics, it stated.
