John deJongh Jr

John Percy de Jongh, Jr., was born on November 13, 1957 and raised on St. Thomas where he attended St. Peter and Paul School. He graduated from Catholic Central High School in Detroit and received a BA degree in Economics from Antioch College in 1981. De Jongh returned to the Virgin Islands to take a position with Tri-Island Economic Development Council and was then hired by Chase Manhattan Bank. During his six years there, de Jongh became the first Country Consumer Manager responsible for all consumer banking products in the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and St. Maarten. Under his leadership, Chase installed the first off-site ATMs, increased home mortgage lending, and changed the bank’s focus to consumer lending in the BVI. In 1984 Governor Juan Luis appointed de Jongh to the Industrial Development Commission. In 1987 he was the youngest Commissioner of Finance when appointed by Governor Alexander A. Farrelly. He was central in drafting legislation establishing the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority. As Chairman of the Governing Board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (1988-1992), de Jongh oversaw the execution of bond offerings that were essential in providing funding for new power generating units on St. Croix and St. Thomas and for the underground power cable servicing St. John. He also initiated the Alva MacFarlane Scholarship Program, which has allowed numerous Virgin Islanders to further their education in engineering and related fields. From 1990 to 1992, de Jongh also served as Executive Assistant to Governor Farrelly and Director of Finance and Administration of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority. In 1993, de Jongh reentered the private sector, as a Senior Managing Consultant for Public Financial Management, Inc. de Jongh helped develop and implement Five-Year Plans for the cities of Philadelphia; New Haven, Connecticut; and Washington, D.C., all of which dramatically improved their financial standing. Most recently, de Jongh served as President and Chief Operating Officer and Director of Lockhart Companies Incorporated. During this time, he also served as President of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, where he worked to ensure private sector competitiveness for small businesses and employee stability and growth in the job market.