Ex-Tourism Director Files Lawsuit Citing Discrimination and Nepotism in Virgin Islands

After 20 years of service, Kay Milliner-Kitchens alleges that her career was undermined by favoritism and a hostile work environment, leading to her wrongful termination

Alleging an entrenched pattern of discrimination and favoritism within the V.I. Department of Tourism, former acting director of sales Kay Milliner-Kitchens has taken her grievances to the District Court of the Virgin Islands. Her lawsuit claims that after two decades of dedicated service, she was wrongfully terminated, the culmination of what she describes as a systematic effort to undermine her career in favor of less experienced individuals with personal connections to high-ranking officials.

Last week, Ms. Milliner-Kitchens, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, filed her complaint, outlining a series of grievances that began in 2019 with the appointment of Joseph Boschulte as the new commissioner of the department. Ms. Milliner-Kitchens said she began working for the department in 2003. She was hired as an “off-shore employee”, one of several who work for the Department of Tourism but primarily reside outside the Virgin Islands.‌