Pacific Magazine > Magazine > April 17, 2007

People Briefs

People Briefs

People Briefs

Guam attorney Rawlen Mantanona was installed as president of the Guam Bar Association in early February. Mantanona has practiced law in Guam for the past 15 years, the first three as a prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General and then as a private practitioner. During his two-year term, he hopes to initiate a program to provide legal services for indigent clients and to inaugurate a Guam law journal to inform attorneys about court issues unique to Guam.  

Dr. Claire Tuia Poumele was confirmed by the Fono (legislature) in February as the new director of American Samoa’s Department of Education.  She replaces former director Malaetele Dr. Lui Tuitele who retired last December and died on February 26. Poumele faces many challenges not only in getting the department refocused on its mission and goals, but also to remove the taint of
allegations about abuse and misuse of government funds by certain employees dating back four years ago. The latest scandal surfaced in late February when 11 computers were stolen from the DOE warehouse.
Another major challenge is to meet the requirement that teachers should be “highly qualified by 2010.” Only 63 percent of the 463 elementary teachers have BA degrees, while at the high school level, nearly 80 percent of the 257 teachers have BAs.

Herman P. Semes is the president of the recently formed Transparency Micronesia Inc., a Pohnpei-based branch of the worldwide anti-corruption group. “The incorporators of Transparency Micronesia Inc. are deeply concerned about the lack of knowledge and understanding among the people of the Federated States of Micronesia about their rights and the conduct of people in leadership positions in various systems of governance in our society,” Semes said in announcing establishment of the new organization in March. “There are strong indications of human rights violations and corrupt activities occurring at all levels of governance in FSM.”

On February 20, the Guam office of the U.S. Small Business Administration named Lucy Montinola Alcorn the 2007 Small

Lucy Alcorn, president and chief executive officer of Global Food Services LLP, accepts her award as the U.S. Small Business Administration Guam Branch 2007 Small Business Person of the Year. Pictured (from left) are: Gov. Felix Camacho; Dave Alcorn, GFS new business and business development officer and husband of Lucy; Lucy Alcorn; Guam Congressional Delegate Madeleine Bordallo; Clifford Guzman, technical operations vice president and Steve Dormer, GFS operations director.  PHOTO: FRANK WHITMAN

Business Person of the Year. She is the president and chief executive officer of Global Food Services LLP, which she runs with partners David Alcorn, her husband, Clifford Guzman and Steven Dormer. The company began in 2003 as a subcontractor on the Navy’s base operating support contract. No longer a subcontractor, the company today employs 300 people to work on a $5.2 million contract for Morale, Welfare and Recreation services, and another $11.8 million contract for base housing operations and maintenance.

Jonathan Austin and Paul Ash.

The deputy special coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) Paul Ash has left Solomon Islands to be replaced with fellow New Zealander, Jonathan Austin. In an address before his March departure, Ash said recent attacks on RAMSI were “particularly disappointing and perplexing given how much Solomon Islanders have achieved for their country with RAMSI’s support.” Austin’s former diplomatic posts have taken him to Tonga, East Timor and South Africa.

Pioneering Pacific Island actor cum producer/director  Nathaniel

Samoa fellowship for actor, director and producer Nathaniel Lees.  PHOTO: PETER REES

Lees took up a three-month artist residency in Samoa starting in February, after being awarded a fellowship co-sponsored by Creative New Zealand and the National University of Samoa. He isthe first recipient of this award. Best known for his roles in the hit films Sione’s Wedding, The Matrix Revolutions and the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lees returns to his country of heritage to further his skills as a writer. He is researching for a three-part Samoan drama he has begun writing. The residency will give him invaluable access to locations and peoples he will study as inspirations for his drama. His last major project was a U.S.-made film The Tattooist filmed in Auckland, New Zealand earlier this year.
 
Patrick Wong is the new chairman of the Fiji Visitors Bureau. Wong replaces Sitiveni Weileilekeba whose three-year term expired in December 2006. Wong is currently the general manager of the Matamanoa Islands Resort and has worked in the tourism industry since 1981. He takes up the FVB position as the Fiji tourism industry struggles to attract visitors in the wake of the December 6 coup and subsequent travel advisory warnings from Fiji’s major markets.

Lei Ogumoro-Uludong is the new public information officer for the Department of Public Safety in the Northern Marianas. Ogumoro-Uludong is the daughter of  Felicidad Ogumoro- Uludong and the late Francisco T. Uludong, one of the first Micronesians to receive a journalism degree who wrote for Tia Belau in Palau, Marianas Variety on Saipan, and was a correspondent for the Pacific Daily News on Saipan.  Ogumoro-Uludong received her degree in business administration from St. Mary’s College in California in May 2006.

Twins Mayor Jackson Ading and Senator Jack Ading are Enewetak Atoll’s new leadership team.  PHOTO: SUZANNE CHUTARO

Kwajalein Senator Tony deBrum and Enewetak Senator Jack Ading were confirmed in their new positions by the Marshall Islands Electoral Administration following a February 20 by-election to fill seats following the deaths of Senators  Justin deBrum and Ismael John. Tony deBrum was a four-term MP up to 2000 and Cabinet minister in different governments, and is quickly filling the role of opposition spokesman in the lead-up to the November national election. Enewetak now has the distinction of having its two top leadership posts filled by a twin-brother team of Senator Jack Ading and Mayor Jackson Ading.

Ian Clarke

Ian Clarke is the new president of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Council. Clarke was elected in March at the Council’s Cairns meeting. He is a senior partner with Australian law firm Gadens, and specializes in banking and finance law. He has lived in PNG for a total of eight years and has held the business council presidency previously. Among the ongoing issues Clarke will push as president are the opening of Australian labor markets for temporary Pacific island workers and rationalizing of the systems for establishing and running businesses in PNG.

Australian mining company Highlands Pacific has appointed a new finance general manager, Craig Lennon, following the retirement of Kevin Grice. Highlands Pacific runs Kainantu gold project in Papua New Guinea, which saw production set back by an earth slip in the last quarter of 2006. In his expanded role, Lennon will be part of the management team overseeing Kainantu, Ramu Nickel project (where it has a minor stake) and Frieda Copper/Gold project (a joint venture with Xstrata Copper).

The Samoa Rugby Union finally bowed to pressure by appointing former New Zealand All Black great  Michael Jones as its fulltime national rugby coach in February. Jones, 41, has coached   Manu Samoa since 2004, but only in a part-time role as he juggled work commitments in Auckland. Jones expressed his concern late last year that he was one of the only coaches in world rugby who was coaching a national team in a part time capacity. He offered his resignation prior to the Manu Samoa’s developmental tour of Australia and South Africa in January but the SRU declined to accept it. Jones’ apparent angst was linked to rumored internal divisions within the SRU, which led to the sacking of its CEO, Tuilagi Saipele Esera, earlier in the year. Esera’s departure coincided with a change in fortune for Samoan rugby with victory in the IRB Wellington Sevens in February, and the successful transfer of ownership of the Manu Samoa brand from Manu Samoa Rugby Ltd. based in Auckland, to the Samoa Rugby Union.

Samoa Tourism Authority has appointed Papalii Lorenzo McFarland as its new Australian marketing representative. He starts as Samoa is seeing a dramatic increase in its arrivals from Australia, largely as a result of increased  Polynesian Blue air access and the opening of new hotel and resort ventures. The South Pacific Tourism Organization reports the number of tourists traveling to Samoa in 2006 rose by 14,075, a 14 percent hike over the previous year.

Ok Tedi mining company has appointed  Nigel Parker as general manager of corporate business. Ok Tedi produces copper concentrate for the world smelting market out of its mine in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province. Ok Tedi’s full year sales revenue for 2006 was PGK4.6 billion (US$1.49 billion), 40 percent higher than in 2005.

French Polynesia politician and Mahina Mayor  Emile Vernaudon was found guilty on a conflict of interest charge by a Papeete court. He now faces a five-year ban on holding office, a 30-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of US$17,162. Vernaudon was convicted of attending a council of ministers meeting that ruled on his request to live on public property while he was postal and telecommunications minister. He was planning to appeal the decision as Pacific Magazine  went to press.

FSM national elections results produced a shakeup in executive and congressional leadership, as the Chuuk and Pohnpei races for the four-year seats—from which the President and Vice President are later chosen—bumped out two-term Vice President  Redley Killion of Chuuk, and Congress Speaker Peter Christian. Killion was defeated by Senator Manny Mori, who had picked up Chuuk’s four-year seat in the by-election after Killion’s election to be the VP spot in the 2003 election, while Christian was running for a four-year seat for the first time in an attempt to unseat incumbent Resio Moses as a stepping-stone to the presidency. But Moses beat Christian by a wide margin, bumping him out of politics for the first time since his election to the first FSM Congress 28 years ago. FSM President Joseph Urusemal of Yap was returned uncontested. But the possibility of Killion and Christian getting back to the Congress depends on whether the four-year senators from their states get bumped to the executive branch, opening up by-elections to fill the vacancies.

Tahiti Nui TV has a new chief executive officer, Yves Haupert, who is a former journalist with French RFO and head of communications of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira party.  But his appointment and strong political connections have left some staff concerned for the “credibility” and “independence” of the station, reports Oceania Flash.

Judge Semi Epati marked five years on the bench in New Zealand.  PHOTO: PETER REES

High Chief Judge Semi Epati celebrated five years on the bench of New Zealand’s district courts on February 22. He is the Pacific’s first judge in New Zealand. Judge Epati also chairs the Pacific Reference Group of Otago University. His advice for ambitious Pacific Islanders: “work hard in everything you do, be honest in whatever you do, and then leave everything to God.”
 
You can read an interview with Judge Semi Epati marking his five years in office at www.pacificmagazine.net

Former Australian and Fijian rugby player Ilie Tabua has been entrusted to lead Fiji’s national rugby team at this year’s Rugby World Cup. And the 42-year-old from Naivicula has only nine months to catch up on four years of preparations. Fijian rugby was dealt a blow when New Zealander Wayne Pivac quit the national coaching job at the start of the year. But the writing had been on the wall since last year when Pivac almost lost his job after a spate of dismal international results. The political climate in Fijian rugby obviously drove Pivac to return home when a lucrative offer from the North Harbor rugby union came knocking ahead of the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup later this year.
Tabua is the first indigenous Fijian coach to take over the national team in nearly a decade. Fiji’s high performance general manager Peter Murphy says Tabua has got a strong work ethic.

Gina Ramos was elected to be the new chairwoman of   Guam Community College’s board of trustees on February 1. She has been a member of the board since October 2005 and will serve in her new position until December 2007. The financial state of the government of Guam is GCC’s biggest challenge, she says. “We’ve been one of the most fiscally responsible agencies in the government of Guam,” Ramos says. “We’ve instituted austerity measures. Now we need to insure that the government of Guam provides its allotment to the school.” She replaces Adolf Sgambelluri, who had been board chairman since 2004, but was dismissed by Governor Felix Camacho because of “policy differences.”  Sgambelluri had publicly endorsed Robert Underwood, Camacho’s opponent in the November gubernatorial election.

Mining expert John Wilson hired by the Northern Marianas. PHOTO: JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ

Dr. John W. Wilson, a mining expert with over 48 years of experience, has been given a $152,000 contract by the Northern Marianas Department of Public Lands to analyze the economic potential of pozzolan deposits on Pagan, an island 300 miles north of Saipan.  Wilson’s hiring is expected to expedite the analysis on the amount and quality of pozzolan that can be mined.  Pozzolan is an extract of volcanic eruption that is used mainly to strengthen cement products used in buildings and roads. Wilson has worked in the mining industry since 1954 in Great Britain, South Africa, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Casten Nemra, Chief Secretary for the Marshall Islands. PHOTO: DOUGLAS HENRY

Casten Nemra stepped into the Marshall Islands government’s top civil service position as Chief Secretary in late-March. At 35, he is the youngest Marshall Islander to hold the post. Nemra has worked at the Ministry of Finance in management positions since 2001, and most recently was assistant secretary for customs, tax and revenue. He comes to the position with a reputation as a soft-spoken but methodical reformer. During his tenure as assistant secretary, Nemra has been credited with making major improvements in customs administration and performance, which dramatically reduced private sector complaints of corruption and unfair practices. A graduate of Assumption High School in Majuro, he also holds a BA in business administration from the University of Portland in the United States.

Former Northern Marianas House Speaker and businessman Jose R. Lifoifoi is now the new chairman of the board of the United Micronesia Development Association (UMDA). Lifoifoi has been a board member of UMDA since 1991.  Clarence T. Tenorio, also of Saipan, is the vice president; Tony Gannigiyan of Yap was elected treasurer, while Winnie Lee continues in her position as secretary.  The new president and chief executive officer is Russell K. Snow Jr., who replaced Mike Grandinetti.  Snow also replaced Peter Sinclair who has moved back to Australia.  Hiroyuki Saito is the director of asset management and chief financial officer.
In Memoriam
American Samoa Attorney General Sialega Malaetasi Mauga Togafau died March 9 in Hawaii from complications related to cancer. Governor Togiola Tulafono described Sialega as “a true servant of American Samoa” who took his post seriously. He was an eight-year veteran of the House of Representatives, and a judge.

High Court of American Samoa Judge Tapopo Tupuivao Mekiafa Vaifanua, 63, died in early March at LBJ Medical Center in American Samoa.  “His sudden death came as a shock to me and everyone in the family including our friends, because he was not sick,” said his wife, Vaagi Maria Vaifanua, who is secretary to Senate President Lolo M. Moliga. Prior to joining the bench in July 2002, Vaifanua was the Department of Education’s deputy director for administrative services. He worked with the DOE for 26 years.

Air Caledonie chief executive officer Betrand Rivet died in Noumea in March. He was appointed to head the troubled domestic airline last June. Air Caledonie has been subject to several rounds of cost cutting measures aimed at increasing efficiency in recent years.

Former Guam journalist Eric Say, 50, died on March 6. Say was a longtime reporter for Guam Business News and the Marianas Business Journal. He also contributed to a number of local and regional publications including Pacific Magazine. At the time of his death he was the administrative manager for the Guam Shipyard.

Jean-Jacques Teboul who spent almost 11 years with the international hotel group Accor in French Polynesia, died in March after a long illness. Under his management, Accor expanded its presence there, adding two Novatel hotels and refurbishing four others.