Twenty-two (22) participants from throughout the U.S. affiliated insular areas represented the 2015 graduating class of the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP).
ELDP graduation ceremonies were held on June 12, 2015 at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ELDP is funded by the U. S. Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs and administered by the Graduate School USA's Pacific Islands Training Initiative.
The ELDP was designed to assist the insular areas with developing and retaining the qualified and skilled staff that will become the future leaders of their respective governments. Program participants met four times over the past year to further develop their skills in leadership, management, government finance, program management, public policy and fiscal reform.
ELDP participants represent the governments of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The ELDP participants met over the past year for one week of training on Guam, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, and Honolulu, Hawaii. During each phase of the program, participants heard from guest speakers that included Guam Governor Eddie B. Calvo, American Samoa Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga, Palau President Tommy E. Remengesau and former Hawaii Governor John Waihe'e.
In addition to developing an Individual Development Plan, ELDP participants identified mentors who they met with throughout the year and took part in reading and group assignments between training sessions. A major component of the ELDP were group projects in the areas as health, education, the environment, finance and budgeting, commerce, and human resource management that the participants developed throughout the year and presented on the final day of the program
This year's ELDP graduating class included:
(American Samoa) Magdalene Petaia, Salamasina Jessica Satele, Leifiloa Tanoi;
(Chuuk) Sermina Namelo;
(CNMI) Alfreda Camacho, Frankie Eliptico;
(Guam) Llewelyn Terlaje, Natalia Faculo, Selina Onedera-Salas;
(FSM National Government) Kemsky Sigrah, Shanty Sigrah-Asher;
(Kosrae) Priscilla Laborete;
(Marshall Islands) Angeline Heine, Donna Lanej, Junior Aini, Terry Hazzard;
(Palau) Darnelle Decherong, Mingrang Kloulechad, Roxanne Blesam, Umerang Imetengel;
(Pohnpei) Brandon Tara, Pressler Martin.
The 2015 ELDP graduating class represents the fourth ELDP program. Since its inception in 2008, eighty-one participants from across the Pacific have completed the ELDP program.
Additional information on the Executive Leadership Development Program can be found online at http://eldp.pitiviti.org. The application process for the fifth ELDP cohort is expected to begin February, 2016.