Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs Announces Executive Leadership Development Program for Public Sector Officials from the U.S. Virgin Islands

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2022 - 2023 cohort of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). Public sector employees working for the U.S. Virgin Islands government with at least two consecutive years of government service are encouraged to apply online at  https://apply.pitiviti.org before July 22, 2022.

“We strongly encourage eligible public servants in the U.S. Virgin Islands to apply for this program that is designed and specifically tailored to participants from the Virgin Islands,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Keone Nakoa. “The program was developed to strengthen and build the capacity of all our public servants in the Insular Areas, and we hope that those who are eligible strongly consider taking advantage of this great opportunity.”

The nine-month program for the U.S. Virgin Islands cohort offers experiential training content intended to develop public service values and leadership skills, giving participants exposure to a network of leading experts and peers from the U.S. federal government.

Commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs in 2008, 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. Today, the ELDP serves as the premier leadership development program for government employees in critical positions throughout the Insular Areas which included four U.S. territories and three freely associated states. The ELDP alumni network now numbers over 175 strong and represents virtually every government agency in the Insular Areas. ELDP alumni work as dedicated public servants, directors, ambassadors, doctors, elected representatives, judges, cabinet members, and more.

The USVI ELDP is funded through the United States Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs’ Technical Assistance Program and administered by the Graduate School USA’s Pacific and Virgin Islands Training Initiatives (PITI-VITI) through the Center for Leadership and Management in Washington, D.C. More information about the USVI ELDP can be found at pitiviti.org.

The Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, @InsularAffairs, and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Follow and “like” OIA on Facebook and subscribe to the OIA YouTube Channel.