THOMAS Manglona, a son of Rota and KUAM’s chief regional correspondent, has been accepted into the Obama Foundation Leaders Program.
According to the program’s website, Manglona will be part of a cohort of leaders from the Asia-Pacific region that will participate in a six-month, “hybrid leadership development program.”
Qualifying participants come from Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Australia. There are 34 members in this year’s cohort.
Former CNMI Rep. Sheila J. Babauta was in the first cohort of the Obama Foundation’s Leaders Asia-Pacific program in 2019.
Manglona and his cohort members will engage in weekly workshops to “gain key tools to advance their leadership and impact.”
Workshop topics include storytelling, understanding power dynamics, communicating across differences and more.
The Obama Foundation will also pair Manglona with a leadership coach who will support his personal development through the program.
Additionally, “prominent regional leaders” are scheduled to meet with the cohort members, according to the program website.
Other programmatic activities include cultural programming “that showcases the richness of diversity in the region” as well as “curated spaces for deep personal reflection and interpersonal learning with peers.”
Manglona, who describes himself as a “lifelong learner,” hopes to grow professionally through his involvement in the program.
“I hope to learn from the diverse cohort the Obama Foundation selected this year,” he said. “Everyone has a story to share, lessons learned, and ideas to solve issues they care about. I aim to apply what I will learn in this program to my work as a journalist.”
Specifically, he aims to continue his advocacy around First Amendment issues, in particular, issues surrounding freedom of the press.
He said the Obama Foundation is a non-partisan and non-political organization that “welcomes people with wide-ranging views.”
“[The Obama Foundation Leaders program] focuses on our individual development for the betterment of our entire community, regardless of political affiliation,” he said. “I would encourage anyone from any industry to apply and make use of the resources not available on island.”
Manglona is also the president of the re-established NMI chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and is featured in the Fall 2024 issue of Quill, SPJ’s magazine.
