The Department of Planning and Natural Resources has hired Austin Callwood as director of the Division of Environmental Enforcement.
Callwood brings "unprecedented training, knowledge and experience to the enforcement division," according to a statement from DPNR announcing the hiring. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a retired commander with more than 20 years of service, Callwood also has an MBA from George Washington University.
Callwood’s mission is to take the division to the next level and transform the small cadre of environmental enforcement officers into an elite law enforcement agency second to none in the Virgin Islands, said DPNR Commissioner Robert Mathes.
“Getting this native son to come back home after a successful military career is a major plus for the division, department and territory,” Mathes said.
DPNR is fortunate to have qualified professionals and proven leaders like Callwood and Beulah Dalmida-Smith of St. John, who recently was appointed to head up the Fish Wildlife Division, on board to complement its staff, Mathes said.