Four young professionals from American Samoa are among 31 new participants of the Executive Leadership development Program for the Pacific and Caribbean insular areas sponsored by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA).
They are:
• Mika Aga – Senior Engineer, Department of Port Administration
• Grace Felise – Environmental Planner & Coastal Zone Management Program Manager, Department of Commerce
• Matilda Kruse – Program Integrity Division Head, American Samoa Medicaid State Agency
• Patrick Reid – Public Policy Advisor, Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
The 2023 ELDP Cohort is comprised of mid-level management public servants: 4 from American Samoa, 5 from Northern Marianas, 3 from Guam, 5 from U.S. Virgin Islands, 8 from the Federated States of Micronesia, 4 from Marshall Islands and 2 from Palau.
Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, Carmen G. Cantor welcomed the participants.
“We welcome this new cohort of ELDP participants who are joining a long successful program that can now boast over 175 alumni. This year’s group represents a broad cross-section of talent who are positioned to have a long-lasting impact in their respective island
communities, and we are extremely pleased to support each one of them in what will be a special journey of professional and personal development.”
Competitively selected from a pool of over one hundred applicants, the members of the 2023 Cohort demonstrated steady career growth with increased levels of responsibility, as well as individual commitment to public service, leadership potential, and diversity of regional and technical perspectives.
The ELDP was designed to assist the insular governments with developing and retaining qualified and talented professionals needed to lead their governments into the future. The ELDP offers experiential training content designed to develop public service values and leadership skills. ELDP participants are immersed in experiential projects and work with leading experts to address regional issues.
