THE Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations conducted a public hearing on July 7 for former Northern Marianas College regent Jesus “Jesse” Masga Tudela who has been re-appointed by the governor.
His term ended on May 29, 2022. If confirmed by the full Senate body, he will serve another four-year term.
Present for the hearing were committee chair Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz and members, Senate Vice President Justo S. Quitugua, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan, and Sen. Karl King-Nabors.
The committee vice chair, Sen. Victor B. Hocog, was absent.
Also present for the hearing were the governor’s representative, Richard Baleares, NMC President Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, NMC Director of the Office of the President Kevin Bautista, NMC Board of Regents Chair Charles V. Cepeda, and other NMC officials.
In his introduction of Tudela on behalf of Governor Torres, Baleares said the nominee is a respected health professional and educator with over 20 years of experience, serving as a classroom teacher at Marianas High School, as well as vice principal and principal of Saipan Southern High School.
He also served as staff certified registered respiratory therapist at the Commonwealth Healthcare Center, and prior to his return to Saipan, he performed the same job at the St. Francis Medical Center at Liliha in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tudela has a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a master’s in education in international studies from Framingham State University, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in education in education and leadership healthcare from Nebraska Methodist College.
He currently works at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation where he has served in many roles throughout the years, from manager of the respiratory care department to director of hospital services, deputy chief operations officer and, currently, chief of ancillary services.
“Governor Torres places his full trust and confidence in Mr. Tudela to continue to serve on the Northern Marianas College board of regents,” Baleares said. “I know he stands ready to answer your questions and present his plans for the future. His long history of professional experience, credentials, and commitment to serving the Commonwealth in this capacity makes him a viable candidate and we kindly ask for your expeditious approval.”
In his opening statement, Tudela said, “My reason for pursuing another four-year term is to continue serving and contributing to our only community college on the brink of breaking ground for the new NMC. I want to finish what our current board of regents started in making a difference at NMC, including the most recent accomplishment of an eight-year accreditation. I want to remain a proactive and vital board of regent member in ensuring the NMC facilities master plan has flexible and resilient facilities for future buildings, including integrating technology for remote services and appropriate ventilation for future pandemics. I want to continue to be an instrumental stakeholder in the new NMC coming to fruition and the education investment for the community to flourish.”
Tudela believes “that an educated community with many college graduates with degrees is healthier because they tend to promote healthier lifestyles. I want to be one of the educational policymakers who will make our CNMI improve its workforce development and finances for healthcare. More importantly, it will make it a happier, healthier, and more productive place to live.”
He added, “If you’re wondering what I bring to the NMC board of regents, it will be summed up in one word: grit. I have guts to take on the required fiduciary duty as an NMC regent as I did in my first time. I have resilience in helping NMC weather and grow into a new NMC. I have initiatives to make NMC better in carrying out its mission and vision. Lastly, I have tenacity to make NMC great in the Pacific region and a world-renowned educational institution, all because I have the education, the experience as an educator, healthcare administrator, and regent.”
NMC President Dr. Deleon Guerrero expressed support for the nominee, noting that the board of regents plays a vital role as it sets the policies that guide all college employees and students, and leads the strategic direction of the institution.
“Despite typhoons, economic turbulence, and a global pandemic, the board has led the college in the past few years with a plan for new facilities, the launch of a new strategic master plan, and a historic accreditation term of eight years, the longest in the college’s history,” Deleon Guerrero said.
“During his time as a regent, Tudela has been instrumental in that progress. In fact, Mr. Tudela was there when it all started in 2018, while attending a conference in New York City in August with then newly appointed interim president Frankie Elliptico, they learned about the devastation that Super Typhoon Yutu was wreaking on the CNMI and on the college. Without hesitation, they flew right back home to lead recovery and rebuilding efforts. Since then, Mr. Tudela and his fellow regents have not slowed down, leveraging community resources to bring almost $100 million in funding for new facilities, completing a successful presidential search process, and pushing through with a new strategic master plan that focuses on taking care of our community, taking care of our resources, and taking care of our people.”
According to Deleon Guerrero, “None of this comes as a surprise given Mr. Tudela’s longstanding commitment to education in our community. In education, he has taught numerous classes, led two schools, and even pursued his own higher education leading to his current efforts to earn an education doctorate. In the community, he has served in various healthcare leadership positions, initiated various healthcare programs, and led our islands through a global pandemic.”
For his efforts, Tudela has been recognized as Teacher of the Year, Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction, and a Covid-19 Heroes Awardee.
More recently, he has taken the lead in developing the college’s Proa Promise Initiative, which will help ensure affordable education through a Last Dollar Scholarship, increase graduation rates with Wraparound Student Support Services, and meet workforce needs by improving job placement processes as students graduate.
“All of these stems from his commitment, as he put it, to making the CNMI a happier, healthy, and more productive place to live,” Deleon Guerrero said.
NMC Board Chair Cepeda, for his part, said Tudela “has been very active [as a regent]… including, as has been mentioned, in getting a new president onboard. Those were long extensive hours that he spent in making sure that we select the right individual for the presidency.”
“Not only that,” Cepeda said, “but he has attended a lot of the trainings and seminars that are necessary to be a part of the board of regents. We feel that he brings a lot to the table. He is not afraid to speak his mind among the board of regents, but he also understands how the majority decision benefits everyone in the college.”
Cepeda said Tudela “is a strong individual in the community, well-educated. I want to congratulate him for getting his doctorate degree in a couple of weeks, hopefully…. On behalf of the board of regents, we support the nominee.”
Also testifying to support the nominee was NMC Director of the Office of the President Kevin Bautista.
The Senate committee likewise received written testimony from NMC Vice President For Administration and Advancement Frankie Elliptico in support of the nominee.
Senate Floor Leader Sablan noted that he is a former NMC student and classmate of Tudela.
Sablan said NMC has produced and will continue to produce productive citizens and professionals in the CNMI
Senator King-Nabors, for his part, noted his past work with Tudela during the government’s responses to Super Typhoon Yutu and the Covid-19 pandemic in the CNMI.
“You were always a calming tone and presence in those crucial and pivotal moments for the CNMI. Those stories might never be told, but thank you so much for all that you have done,” the senator said.
The full Senate body is scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. this Friday, July 22, in the Senate chamber for a special session.
Jesus “Jesse” Masga Tudela, who has been nominated to the board of regents of Northern Marianas College, appears before the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations during a public hearing on July 7, 2022 in the Senate chamber.
