(Press Release) — The Northern Marianas Humanities Council elected a new slate of officers and board members at its quarterly meeting on April 25, 2022. Dr. Bobby James A. Cruz was elected to the position of chair, Gretchen A. Smith to the position of vice chair, and Leonard Leon to the position of secretary/treasurer.
Dr. Cruz began serving the council in February 2021 and was previously chairman of the program committee. He holds a doctor of education in educational leadership and currently directs the CNMI Public School System’s Instructional Technology & Distance Education Program. He also co-directs school-based mental health services. Dr. Cruz is a long-standing community volunteer and an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Smith’s term began in October 2021 when she served as the council’s secretary/treasurer. She holds a juris doctorate from the UC Davis School of Law and is currently a law clerk for the U.S. District Court of the NMI.
Leon was elected to the board in February 2021 and is the current program manager at the CNMI Office of Planning and Development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in creative media with a minor in cultural anthropology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is well-known on Saipan as a photographer, filmmaker, cultural jewelry artist, and lifelong creative.
Newly elected council members are Lynette L. Villagomez and Samuel M. McPhetres.
Villagomez has over 30 years of experience as a teacher, school principal, and program director, with system-wide administrative experience at the Northern Marianas College and PSS. She is currently the deputy director of the Region 18 Comprehensive Center and senior specialist for the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. She holds a master of education in international teaching from Framingham State University and credits for a doctor of education in educational leadership from Walden University.
McPhetres is the proprietor of GUMA Architects LLC and has completed projects in Saipan, Guam, Palau, and Washington. He holds a master of architecture from the University of Washington and has decades of experience in the rendering, modeling, and construction of projects.
The Northern Marianas Humanities Council is a private, non-profit organization affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The council comprises a 13-member volunteer board whose mission is to navigate and examine the human experiences of the indigenous and diverse communities of the Commonwealth by enriching their lives through research, publications, programs, and dialogue. For information about the council’s programs, visit www.nmhcouncil.org
Dr. Bobby James A. Cruz
Gretchen A. Smith
Leonard Leon
