FROM teaching students in the classroom to serving as one of several women in the 22nd CNMI Legislature, Rep. Leila Haveia Fleming C. Staffler has come a long way, but her heart for the people has only grown fonder.
“It was definitely not a planned journey, but I have always been interested in public service. I was a public school teacher for many years, and in that experience, I saw how much I could help my classroom and one day, I thought, ‘What if I could help a whole school?’ ”
From there, Staffler went on to be school principal at Kagman High School.
After walking the halls, sometimes with a bullhorn, and encouraging students to pursue their education and career goals, she then thought to herself, “What if I can do this, but in a different role, helping more than just students and families?”
She then took a leap of faith and ran for a legislative seat, eventually becoming one of several women elected into office, the largest female representation in the history of the CNMI House of Representatives.
“This was never the end goal, but I’m very happy with the path that I have been given by Jesus and God,” she said.
Staffler credits her mother and grandmother for instilling in her the value to “do the right thing.”
“My mom and my grandma were very important pillars of our community on Tinian. My grandma was very active in the church, making sure that we did the right thing. It’s very important. That was something she always taught us, and that’s something that my mom, of course, took and made sure was a value that was expressed in our growing up,” she said.
On a broader scale, Staffler said she admires poets such as Maya Angelou and musicians like Erykah Badu who pushed the envelope and broke ground on new ideas.
Staffler also cited current political leaders in the modern-day era, including former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
She noted that many women have opened the doors for so many, herself included.
There is still a lot of work to be done though, she said.
“A lot of times, I still experience these biases with people thinking it’s unique to have a female leader. One of the quotes that has been popping up in a lot of our feeds is by Sheryl Sandberg and it says that in the future, there will be no female leaders; there will just be leaders. It really stood out to me because now, in this role, I sometimes wonder that the type of questions that people ask us in general, sometimes the questions they ask, I wonder, would they ask a male candidate this way or would they ask a male leader these same questions? I often wonder that.”
Staffler noted that oftentimes than not, women carry a lot of the responsibilities at home, and somehow manage to juggle work, home life, and personal life.
She underscored the importance of workplaces having policies that support their needs, including taking time off from work to support their home life, while balancing any other expectations that they have as employees, regardless of their gender.
To help bridge the gap or the disparities between the different genders, Staffler said that there needs to be more options, like paid family leave, creating support programs for families seeking financial independence, creating more small business opportunities for men and women alike.
“It shouldn’t just be one gender,” she said.
Staffler also noted that there is a whistleblower protection law that she proposed that would hopefully protect anyone in the workplace, regardless of their gender, “especially in this type of environment we have sometimes.”
The lawmaker said every day, she actively works to help “break the bias.”
“It’s one of those things that, a lot of times, people will maybe undervalue a woman’s work, thinking that she can’t do it because maybe she’s not strong enough or whatever, but that is actually not a valid argument because women have been able to accomplish so many things, regardless of their gender, that men also can do. We do it every day,” she said.
“I guess we are considered the nurturing gender, right? Because we are often mothers and grandmothers. But not everybody follows this path.”
To help women advance in businesses or organizations, Staffler said that empathy goes a long way.
“A lot of times, especially when you’re dealing with people and having empathy for the situations that they’re going through, this can help you be a better manager to support your employees. When your employees are supported, they will often perform better for you and that will help your business. This will help your customers receive great customer service, but you would also be treating your employees with dignity,” she said.
She added that women oftentimes exhibit organizational skills and empathy, qualities that foster individual and corporal growth.
“With respect to organization, that’s something that women are often the responsible person for in the household, although, again, like everything I’ve said, men also have to do these things,” she said.
Asked if she feels that women in the CNMI are granted equal opportunity to pursue their career ambitions, Staffler said, “I would definitely say that more and more in the modern times, yes.”
“I have seen just in this last election, for example, more women being voted into the House than ever before, so I can see that the possible cultural biases that have existed in the past are not really as strong as they used to be,” she said.
Staffler is running for lt. governor, alongside her colleague and friend, Rep. Christina M. Sablan who is seeking the gubernatorial seat in the upcoming election.
Despite the headway that women have made in the 21st century, Staffler said people still question whether or not the all-female ticket is ready to fill the top two seats in the CNMI government.
“Why do people even ask that question? We’re just people who are interested in serving. Although female in leadership roles might have been a hang-up in the past, today’s people, today’s communities see that women are just as capable as men and can do almost anything that they can do,” she said.
To young women considering pursuing a similar path as Staffler’s, the lawmaker had this to say, “Like Sheryl Sandberg said, I hope that one day, it won’t matter what gender we are, that whoever wants to serve can serve.”
With tears welling in her eyes, she added, “I get emotional about this because every time I see parents with little girls, and when I interact with them, I can see how excited they are because they see that there are doors opening for their girls that maybe weren’t open for them during their time, and so I see this as a really exciting movement.”
“I feel very fortunate to have come of age in a time like now where a lot of the barriers that existed for women in leadership positions or in general have been broken by the women before us who have paved the way. I know there is still a lot of work to be done with lots of different issues that people can bring up, but I can definitely say that I feel very fortunate to have been able to be part of this time, and I look forward and wonder what it will be like for my daughters and granddaughters of the future,” she said.
Representative Staffler was elected into office in the 2020 midterm election, representing Precinct 5.
She currently serves as the chairperson of the House Committee on Education, vice chair of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, and is a member of the House Committees on Ways and Means; Public Utilities, Transportation and Communications; and Federal and Foreign Affairs, while also serving on the Special Standing Committee on Official Conduct and Ethics and the Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment.
Leila Staffler
