The Senate Committee on Rules and Judiciary voted on Nov. 13 to forward Jennifer M. Matarangas King’s nomination to be Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism to the full Legislature after a 60‑minute hearing.

King, who has more than 26 years of experience working with the Virgin Islands’ tourism and communications sector, told the committee she has focused the first 30–90 days of her tenure on strengthening organizational structure, hiring local staff to even out coverage across islands, and advancing partnerships to increase air and cruise visibility. She said the department is adding two directors of visitor experience on St. Croix, an assistant director of festivals there, and an additional social‑media specialist.

Senators asked how the department will ensure the local community benefits from tourism. King described a 'Vested Interest' campaign intended to make residents and small businesses feel part of the visitor experience, and she discussed a 'destination optimization' program that provides free coaching to small businesses to improve their Google listings and on‑line visibility.

On digital transformation, King said the department has expanded its in‑house communications capacity and will increase content production and influencer engagement to reach younger travelers. She also emphasized outreach, radio and TV communications, and town halls to address perception gaps about how locals are treated compared with visitors.

Senator Kenneth L. Gittens moved and the committee voted 6–0 (1 absent) to forward King’s nomination to the full Senate.