Baily

Matthew Bailey has been promoted to president and CEO of Aqua Hospitality LLC and president of Aston Hotels & Resorts, the former of which owns and operates Aqua Suites Guam. His promotion follows the resignation of Benjamin Rafter, who held the position since 2008. Bailey was previously the chief operating officer for the companies, a position he held since last December. He has more than three decades of experience in the hospitality industry and holds a bachelor’s in hotel administration from the University of Nevada.

Ridgell

Clynton E. Ridgell was appointed assistant news director for Pacific News Center. Prior to working at PNC, Ridgell was a television reporter for KUAM. He holds a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Guam and has been in the journalism profession for 10 years.

Leon Guerrero

Rachael Leon Guerrero, a faculty member of the University of Guam since 1998, is now the associate dean/associate director of the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center, the research division of the college connected with the national land grant system. She holds a doctorate in human nutrition from Colorado State University, a master’s in human nutrition from the University of Hawaii and a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Guam.

Aguon

Alicia Aguon, a mathematics instructor for the University of Guam since 1993, has been appointed as the associate dean of instruction. After attending Guam private and public schools, she went on to earn a bachelor’s in mathematics from the University of Guam, a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Hawaii and a doctorate in mathematics education from the Union Institute and University (Ohio).

Hollyer

James Hollyer has been appointed associate director for the University of Guam’s College of Natural and Applied Sciences. Hollyer has more than 30 years of experience in Pacific islands agriculture, aquaculture, program and people leadership and website development. He holds a bachelor’s in ichthyology from Western Michigan University and a master’s in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Enas

Sean W. Enas was appointed event consultant for Agana Shopping Center. He was formerly with Micronesian Brokers Inc. as marketing manager and has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Enas studied physics at the University of London and graduated in 1989.

The Guam Chamber of Commerce elected eight new board directors for the 2015 chamber year during its annual membership meeting on Nov. 19. The six directors serving a three-year term are Joe M. Arnett, partner, Deloitte and Touche LLP; Ernie A. Galito, director of business and development, Baldyga Group LLC; Bartley A. Jackson, chief operating officer, B&G Pacific LLC; Jonathan Kriegel, president and CEO, Docomo Pacific Inc; Lorraine Okada, president, Okada Managing Consulting Services; and Bobby Shringi, sales and marketing manager, Moylan’s Insurance Underwriters. The two alternate directors to serve a one-year term are Gerald S.A. Perez, proprietor and vice president, MicroMed Suppliers, and Logan Reyes, marketing director, Market Wholesale Distribution Inc.

Jones

The board announced on Dec. 10 its elected officers for the 2015 administrative year. Jeffrey B. Jones, president and CEO or Triple J Enterprises Inc., was unanimously elected chairman of the board; Laura-LynnV. Dacanay, senior vice president/region manager for First Hawaiian Bank, was elected vice chair; and Ronald E. Cannoles, executive vice president of the Pacific Islands Division for Bank of Hawaii, was re-elected as secretary-treasurer.

The Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association announced on Dec. 12 the results of its 2015 board of directors’ election and selection of officers.

•Board chairman: Bartley A. Jackson, president of Hotel Santa Fe

•First vice chairman: Joseph Blas, assistant general manager of Hotel Nikko Guam

•Secretary/treasurer: James S. Herbert III, general manager of Triple J Five Star Wholesale Foods

•Hotelier vice chairman: Roy Abraham, general manager of Pacific Star Resort & Spa

•Restaurateur vice chairman: Sudipta Basu, general manager of Baldyga Group

•Vice chairman of the Allied Industry Chapter: Edson Lai, general manager of Quality Distributors

Elected to serve a two-year term representing the Hotelier Chapter was Blas and Ken Yanagisawa, general manager of Pacific Islands Club Guam. Elected to serve a two-year term representing the Restaurateur Chapter was Basu. Elected to serve a two-year term representing the Allied Industry Chapter was Herbert.

Holdover directors for the 2015 term include Jackson, Abraham and Ilmo Kwon, director of food and beverage for the Hyatt Regency Guam, representing the Hotelier Chapter; Gary Schiff, director of brand management, Subway restaurants representing the Restaurateur Chapter; and Lai, representing the Allied Industry Chapter.

Remengesau

Palau President Thomas E. Remengesau Jr. accepted the Champions of the Earth award, the highest environmental accolade given by the United Nations, on Nov. 20 in Washington, D.C.

The award was in recognition “for his visionary leadership in spearheading major conservation initiatives and building his country’s economic resilience through green economy policies.”

The University of Guam Office of Development and Alumni Affairs together with the UOG Alumni Association announced the winners of the 2014 UOG Distinguished Alumni Awards. Awards were given to one person from each of the university’s schools and colleges. Recipients were Bruce Best, energy and remote island communication consultant; Thomas J. Brislin, associate dean – arts and humanities, University of Hawaii at Manoa; retired Army Col. John M. Chiu; Lourdes P. Klitzkie, professor emeritus, Society of Emeritus Professors and Related Scholars; Michael Pexa, founder and CEO, Asia Pacific Financial Management Group; and Reina Sanchez, social services supervisor I, Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center.

Marianas Variety founder Abed E. Younis received a lifetime achievement award on Oct. 23 at the 2014 Governor’s Humanities Awards. Sponsored by the Office of the Governor and the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, the Governor’s Humanities Awards recognizes outstanding contributions to the humanities by individuals and organizations in the community. Also recognized alongside Younis were Noryasu Horiguchi, AssociateJudge Joseph N. Camacho, Marie S.C. Castro, Hsiao-Chun Hung,Mike T.Castro and Galvin S. Deleon Guerrero.

Two faculty members from the University of Guam School of Business and Public Administration were honored at the Center for Scholastic Inquiry’s International Academic Research Conference in Minnesota for their collaborative research on teaching methods for adult learners. Richard S. Colfax, professor of human resource management, and John J. Rivera, assistant professor in the School of Business and Public Administration, received the “Best Paper” award for their work “The Need for Andragogy of Workplace Relevance in the College Classroom.” The paper focuses on understanding college students as adult learners and examines the connections between the classroom and real-life scenarios or a potential workplace.

Kentos at the Hyatt Regency Guam hosted the 2nd Annual Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition on Nov. 5. Junjie Piolo, head bartender at Drop, took home the Overall Local Championship and a cash prize of $1,000. Piolo distinguished himself in a field of 11 candidates from other local bars and restaurants, which had each held in-house competitions to send its best competitor.

The Micronesian Chefs Association held its Salon Culinaire 2014 competition Nov. 21 at Guam Community College. In each of three competition categories, participants had to create an entrée from a box of mystery ingredients in a set timeframe.

Of 32 competitors in the Junior Chefs category, Francis Olivares of Sea Grill Restaurant took first; Leann Lusung of Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro took second; and Aron Paul Ocampo of Westin Resort Guam took third.

In the Professional Chefs category, nine chefs from island restaurants competed with Ernie Merfalen, executive chef at Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro, taking first; Darren Dragon, sous chef at Pacific Islands Club, taking second; and Cristiano Pozzi, chef de cuisine at Al Dente in the Hyatt Regency Guam, taking third.

Five chefs competed in the Master Chefs “Chopped” competition. Chef Peter Duenas, president of the Micronesian Chefs Association and owner of Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro, took first; Chef Eddie Chien, executive chef and owner of Delmonico, took second; and Chef Paul Kerner, head instructor of the GCC culinary arts program, took third.

Team Guam from the Guam Visitors Bureau received the “Best Booth Performance” award at the Taipei International Travel Fair. More than 300,000 people attended the four-day event with more than 60 countries represented and more than 1,450 booths set up inside the Taipei World Trade Center.

The Northern Mariana Islands Crime Stoppers Program was recognized for its continued efforts in the fight against crime at a Crime Stoppers International Conference held in Cape Town South Africa, where it competed with similar programs around the world. For having a population of 300,000 or fewer, NMI Crime Stoppers won two media awards: “Best Website” and “Best Crime of the Week.”

A third award, the “President’s Global Award,” was awarded to the late Christina C. Smith, the former Crime Stoppers chairperson for the NMI who was a driving force for the local program. The award was in recognition of her spirit and accomplishments. n

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