Micronesia Challenge Regional Coordinator hopes to establish closer ties with the President’s Office
On November 25, 2019 President Tommy E. Remengesau welcomed the Micronesia Challenge Regional Coordinator, Geraldine Datuin at the President’s Satellite Office in Meyuns. Ms. Datuin, born and raised in the island of Guam, was selected as the MC Regional Coordinator to be based at the Micronesia Challenge Regional Office (MCRO) in Palau. She has experience with working in the Executive Branch government of Guam as a policy analyst, the Guam Department of Agriculture as a Forestry Aide and Agricultural Management Technician, and most recently was a recipient of the prestigious U.S.-U.K. 2017-2018 Fulbright Award, equivalent to the amount $50,000 towards a Master of Science Program in Conservation and Biodiversity, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. She has international experience, working with communities and doing fieldwork based in Bali, Guam, England, Africa, the Philippines.
The Office of the President of Palau welcomes Ms. Datuin and is looking to collaborate with her in increasing funding for Palau’s environmental and conservation sector’s through grant writing, in addition to her primary role coordinating regional projects related to supporting the Micronesia Challenge. She is currently managing the Micronesia Challenge Young Champions Program, a paid internship program that happens every year. This year she is managing five interns in Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau, all of whom are going to make significant contributions to protecting natural resources in their home islands. The Palau intern, a student of Palau Community College, will be based at the Micronesia Challenge Regional Office to assist Ms. Datuin with communications, administrative tasks, and networking opportunities, such as attending events and high-level meetings. This unique opportunity will connect the young intern with the conservation professionals of Palau, ensuring that the next generation of conservationists has access to this resourceful network. With the guidance of the Micronesia Island Forum Chief Executives, of which President Remengesau leads, and Mthe MC Steering Committee Board,Geraldine is currently coordinating a regional grant project with Stanford University and World Wildlife Fund that will contribute to showcasing the successes of the Micronesia Challenge in the ultimate year of 2020, and strategizing for the next phase of the Micronesia Challenge in the next 10 years.