GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Thursday terminated the employment of Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Director Maryann Borja-Arriola effective immediately.
Borja-Arriola received the governor’s letter while she was on Rota to help an individual with disabilities open a ground maintenance business.
In his letter to Borja-Arriola, the governor said: “In the best interest of Commonwealth I have decided to terminate your time as director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. This termination is effective immediately.”
“Thank you for your time serving my administration. I wish you good luck on your future endeavors,” the governor told Borja-Arriola.
Variety learned that the governor’s termination letter came a week after Borja-Arriola told him she was planning to resign because some of OVR’s key employees were “resistant” to the changes she wanted to implement.
These included a timeline for internal controls and a comprehensive state-wide needs assessment.
Variety was told that some OVR staffers asked the governor to fire her.
As OVR director, Borja-Arriola helped several individuals with disabilities land jobs in the private sector.
Last year, she helped an individual with disabilities open a dress-making shop on Saipan, and another individual with disabilities start an ice cream business on Tinian.
Maryann Borja-Arriola
