Fonoti Douglas Jessop confirmed to LBJ Medical Center board

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Former police commissioner, Fonoti D. Jessop is the newest member of the LBJ Medical Center board of directors after he was unanimously confirmed in a 15-0 vote yesterday during the Senate session.

Under local law, only the Senate confirms the governor’s nominees to the medical center board, which is currently chaired by Dr. Malouamaua Tuiolosega.

Fonoti will replace Ufagafa Ray Tulafono who resigned from the board on Feb. 1 this year, said Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga in his nomination letter to Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean. Additionally, Fonoti’s appointment is for a four-year term, expiring Feb. 9, 2026.

The governor had also nominated Rev. Mageo Patolo Mageo to the board, but on Feb. 14, he wrote to the Senate withdrawing Mageo’s nomination. The letter gave no explanation for the withdrawal nor did it name a replacement nominee.

Fonoti appeared Wednesday before a Senate committee confirmation hearing, which lasted about six-minutes, where Sen. Soliai Tuipine Fuimaono pointed out that Fonoti had served in ASG for many years including with the Public Safety Department. He then moved to dismiss the witness and for the committee to make a decision. The verbal motion was supported by other senators.

Fonoti provided a written statement — both in English and Samoan — to the committee and it provided, among other things, education and experience as well as his personal background.

The statement said that Fonoti, first worked at KVZK-TV when the state-run broadcast facility was gearing up in the early 1960s for its first broadcast. In 1968 he joined the local police service, where he worked through the ranks from patrolman to deputy police commissioner.

In 1978, Fonoti graduated from the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia and the same year was the Valedictorian at the American Samoa Community College. In 1981 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Brigham Young University-Provo, in Utah.  He also served as Police Commissioner in 1994 during the Lutali Administration.

Upon retirement in 1997, Fonoti worked with music at his business until The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — where he is a member — called on him to serve as the Area Seventy to the Pacific from 2007 to 2013.

Former Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga appointed Fonoti in 2013 to serve on the American Samoa TeleCommunications Authority board of directors but that service was interrupted when his Church again called on him, this time as the President of the Apia, Samoa Temple from 2014 to 2017.

“Public Administration is my field; its principles are applicable to Boards — to govern and preside; to oversee and ensure that ‘goals and mission statements’ of the entity under it are in line with its Strategic Planning,” Fonoti said in this written testimony to the Senate.

“With some 20-years of Public Administration under my belt, I hope to bring to the Board some fresh perspectives and maybe, make a difference,” he said. “My service as a board member will require learning, team work, tact and diplomacy — the best of efforts from me.”

If confirmed to the post, Fonoti — whose father passed away at the age of 101 years old —  pledged “to discharge my responsibilities as a board [member] to the best of my ability.”

Other current LBJ board members are Dr. Jean Anderson (vice chair), Tamasoalii Dr. Joseph Tufa and Moefaauo William Emmsley.

Over the years, there is always a lot of public interest about who serves on the hospital board, due to it being the only hospital in the territory and especially now as American Samoa is faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) outbreak.