She was extremely pleased to have been chosen to attend and proud to represent the CNMI. “This was an amazing opportunity to engage in productive discussions with the best and the brightest across three branches of government from the 50 states and territories. The program was very thoughtfully put together to develop a collegial bonding experience that provided a safe and neutral environment to talk about critical issues such as budget shortfalls. It was reassuring to know that the CNMI is not alone in dealing with its budget crisis. Leaders from the three branches of government in the CNMI would benefit greatly by participating in a similar leadership conference to enhance mutual understanding and appreciation.”
Guerrero has served as the director of courts for the CNMI judicial branch since August 2008 and was nominated to attend the 2010 Toll Fellows by Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan. Before returning to her native home on Saipan, Guerrero worked as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office in San Francisco, California, conducting performance audits of federal programs. Guerrero holds an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship from California State University Hayward and a B.A. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.
The annual week-long seminar, named in honor of Henry Toll, a Colorado senator who founded the Council of State Governments in 1933, seeks to empower leaders from all three branches of state government. This year’s dynamic program focused on adaptive leadership, policy development, media and constituent relations, and leadership and institutional changes. The experience gives these leaders perspectives they would not ordinarily obtain during the course of their regular governmental service.
Previous Toll Fellows have gone on to build careers of great distinction; alumni of the program currently include four governors, seven lieutenant governors, eight secretaries of state, five members of Congress and one member of President Obama’s cabinet, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The Henry Toll Fellowship Program is one of the nation’s premier leadership development programs for state government officials and the most widely recognized one serving all three branches of government.
The Council of State Governments, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, is the premier multi-branch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. The council alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. The council promotes excellence in decision-making and leadership skills and champions state sovereignty.
For more information about the Henry Toll Fellowship Program, contact Krista Rinehart at (859)244-8249.
