Empowering Future Leaders to Understand Policy Advocacy in the Pacific Islands

The Graduate School USA’s Pacific and Virgin Islands Training Initiatives (PITI-VITI) hosted session three of the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.  During the seven-day session, held from April 16 to April 22, 24 ELDP participants engaged in a week-long case study of a fictional Pacific island country facing economic distress.

Participants served on two parallel task forces and were given less than one week to diagnose and recommend reform policies to address the country’s severe fiscal crises. Each reform package was presented to Micro-Poly President Lokahi, a role played by Mr. Benjamin Graham, former Chief Secretary of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and current staff of the Asian Development Bank.

The ELDP also invited a distinguished group of guest speakers who shared their experiences and insights on the unique challenges and opportunities of leading in the Pacific islands.  Guest speakers provided participants with valuable guidance and practical advice as they developed their leadership roles.  Drawing from their leadership journeys, these experienced leaders also imparted insights to help the ELDP participants navigate their own leadership challenges and opportunities.

Esteemed leaders included:

• Ms. Degi Young, World Bank Resident Representative for the North Pacific
• Ms. Anna Mendiola, President and CEO of the FSM Development Bank
• Ms. Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
• Mr. Mark Moody, Chargé d’affaires of the United States to the Federated States of Micronesia
• Mr. Ihlen Joseph, Iso Nahnken of U Municipality
• H.E. David Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia

"Even though we are small nations our voices must be heard and our country’s self-determination must always be maintained. As leaders, you must ensure accountability and transparency; this allows for strong leadership.”

In addition to the case study and guest speaker sessions, EDLP participants received one-on-one coaching from faculty advisors that included: Mr. Jeff Berlin, Mr. Kevin O’Keefe, Dr. Mary Okada, and Ms. Anna Mendiola. The coaching sessions allowed participants to discuss progress in achieving their Individual Leadership Development Plans (ILDP) and to receive personalized guidance to achieve their goals.

The ELDP Participants also engaged in two enriching cultural events while in Pohnpei. The first, hosted by the Iso Nahnken of U, Mr. Ihlen Joseph, was a culturally rich evening providing ELDP participants an opportunity to learn about local culture and ceremony. The second was a visit to Nan Madol, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre considered to be one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the Pacific region. The site is of great cultural significance to the people of Pohnpei and serves as a symbol of the region’s rich history and heritage.

The third ELDP session proved successful, providing participants with the skills and insights necessary for their leadership roles in the Pacific Islands.  Moving forward, from April to July 2023, participants will transition from Session Three to Session Four, focusing on " Five Seeds of Leadership - Leading Processes and Leading People."  Building upon the self-awareness and leadership abilities developed in previous sessions, session four will be delivered virtually and aims to help participants develop the skills to increase productivity and the skills needed to lead and inspire others.

The fifth and final session of the ELDP will take place in Saipan, CNMI, the week of August 14, 2023.

The ELDP is supported by the U.S.  Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs and aims to help insular governments develop and retain qualified and skilled leaders for the future.

The Office of Insular Affairs provides funding support for the ELDP, administered by the Graduate School USA’s Pacific & Virgin Islands Training Initiatives (PITI-VITI). Additional information on the ELDP can be found at https://pitiviti.org/about-the-eldp. Please find information about PITI-VITI and our work at https://pitiviti.org/, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn.