Two American Samoans graduate from executive leadership program

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 2025 Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP), is a distinguished network of young leaders from across the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands that reflects a shared understanding that the future of the Pacific depends on strong, cooperative partnerships.

And two young leaders from American Samoa — Lindsey Laupola and Kacey N. Iloilo — have successfully graduated from the 2025 Executive Leadership Development Program

Kacey Iloilo, an Environmental Specialist with the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) and Lindsey Laupola, the Homeowners Assistance Fund Coordinator with the American Samoa Department of Commerce (AS-DOC), embraced the program’s challenges and opportunities, each developing a personal leadership plan and contributing to projects that reflect their dedication to serving and uplifting Pacific communities across the region.

Upon graduating, they pledged to apply their training toward strengthening local governance, advancing community resilience, and fostering collaboration across the Pacific. They remain determined to carry the program’s impact forward, sharing its lessons and opportunities in ways that uplift and empower others across the region.

Both young professionals dedicate this accomplishment to their families, mentors, and all who have paved the way and kept them in prayer.

ELDP Graduate Biographies — American Samoa

KACEY N. ILOILO

Environmental Specialist/ Enforcement Officer — American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency

 Kacey N. Iloilo is the daughter of Sale Iloilo and Alice Hunkin Iloilo of Faga’alu.

She currently serves as a deputized enforcement officer at the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency, where she works to safeguard the island territory’s natural resources and ensure public health through enforcement and by promoting environmental education.

She holds double Bachelor degrees in English and Environmental Studies from Chaminade University of Honolulu.

Kacey is actively involved in her community through her volunteer work.

Since 2019, she has served as a Board Member for Finafinau, a local nonprofit organization that emboldens teenage youth through environmental stewardship and mentorship opportunities.

This passion for service also extends to the annual Moso’oi Festival of Arts & Humanities organized by the Agency for Better Living Endeavors, where she leads the festival’s media team. Guided by a commitment to uplifting youth and celebrating Samoan identity, Kacey’s involvement in these initiatives reflects her dedication to service-driven leadership.

In 2024, Kacey was selected as a delegate from American Samoa to the Young Pacific Leaders, where connecting with peers from across all Pacific island nations sparked her vested interest in Pacific regionalism and the power of collaboration. Kacey extends her gratitude to the ELDP coordinators and advisors for providing a platform to learn, connect, and grow alongside leaders from across the Pacific — an experience that has not only greatly shaped her professionally, but has reaffirmed her commitment to serving her island home. 

LINDSEY LAUPOLA

Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF) Coordinator — American Samoa Department of Commerce

Lindsey Laupola is the daughter of Loa Tuimavave T. Laupola & Lana Fiasili Aga-Laupola. She hails from the villages of Fagamalo, Faga’itua, Afonotele & Pago Pago.

She currently serves as the HAF Coordinator for the American Samoa Department of Commerce. In this role, she directs the implementation of federal relief initiatives that support homeowners in financial distress, ensuring effective stewardship of resources and lasting benefits for the community.

Ms. Laupola holds a Master of Legal Studies and a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration from Wayland Baptist University.

In 2023, Lindsey was selected as an inaugural Resilient Pacific Islands Leaders Fellow with the East-West Center, an experience that strengthened her commitment to regional collaboration and fueled her passion for amplifying Pacific voices in federal and international arenas. The fellowship also inspired her to pursue the Executive Leadership Development Program as a way to further refine her leadership skills, deepen cross-island partnerships, and translate regional strategies into tangible outcomes for her community.

Her dedication to uniting Pacific communities led her to establish TALOFA (The Aga Laupola Organization for Advancement) in July 2024, an organization devoted to building youth capacity and promoting community development across American Samoa and the Pacific region. She envisions a future where the collective strength of Pacific Island communities fosters unity, resilience, and opportunity.

Lindsey would like to extend her appreciation to the ELDP organizers, mentors, and fellow cohort members for fostering an environment that strengthened regional connections, encouraged collaborative growth, and reinforced the shared vision of a united and resilient Blue Pacific Continent.

BACKGROUND

Over the course of 9 months, 28 participants from American Samoa, the CNMI, FSM (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei & Yap), the Marshall Islands & Palau engaged in intensive leadership training, strengthened regional collaboration, and developed strategies to effectively address the shared challenges within their island jurisdictions. This marks the ninth graduating class of the EDLP since its inception in 2009.

Commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs and administered through Graduate School USA’s Pacific & Virgin Islands Training Initiatives (PITI-VITI), the ELDP blends a rigorous curriculum focused on leadership, good governance, and collaborative problem-solving, all tailored to the lived realities of Pacific island communities.

(Source: ELDP media release)