Executive Leadership Development Program Launches 2021 Cohort with 40 Public Servants from the Pacific and U.S. Virgin Islands

A promising group of 40 public servants from throughout the U.S. affiliated insular areas represent the 2021 Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) Cohort. 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. Remarks from Nikolao Pula and Douglas W. Domenech reflect the continued support of the Office of Insular Affairs and the U.S. Department of the Interior to the program:

“On behalf of the Office of Insular Affairs and the Department of the Interior, I’d like to welcome each of you to the incoming ELDP cohort. Each of you are leaders in your respective governments and come with impressive backgrounds of formal education and work experience. I am pleased that you have all accepted the invitation to join this program and encourage you to take advantage of all that the program and each of you have to offer each other. I promise you will learn and grow.” -Nikolao Pula, Director of Office of Insular Affairs and the Department of the Interior 

“The United States strives to encourage strong leadership skills among public sector officials in all of the insular areas. Through the ELDP, we endeavor to build upon the competence of young professionals to help them grow and give them the tools they need to succeed as future leaders in the U.S. territories and in the freely associated states.” -Douglas W. Domenech, Assistant Secretary of U.S. Department of the Interior, Insular and International Affairs

Competitively selected from a pool of over one hundred applicants, the members of the 2021 Cohort demonstrated steady career growth with increased levels of responsibility, as well as an expressed commitment to public service. They work primarily in finance and budget, education, health, commerce, and the environment sector.

ELDP’s 2021 Cohort by Sector

The 2021 Cohort of the Executive Leadership Development Program represent the insular area governments as follow:

The ELDP now counts 149 alumni in the insular areas who represent an extraordinary group of young island leaders with diverse professional backgrounds and an enduring commitment to public service. They continue today as dedicated public servants, found in nearly every branch and agency of each insular area government, with some serving as elected representatives, ambassadors, judges, cabinet members, and directors.

149 ELDP Participants and Alumni, by Insular Area Government

First implemented in 2008 in response to growing concerns expressed by insular area leaders about a lack of continuity and capacity for public sector management in the insular areas, the ELDP now serves as the premier leadership development program for government employees throughout the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ELDP provides mid-level public servants with opportunities for self-improvement and helps to retain and strengthen qualified individuals in core government functions.

The ELDP participants will meet virtually while there are travel restrictions due to COVID-19, with the U.S. Virgin Islands participants joining with the U.S. federal employees through the Executive Leadership Program managed by the Graduate School USA’s Center for Leadership and Management. Additional information on each participant as well as detailed program information is available online at http://eldp.pitiviti.org.