The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration has announced appointments to serve on the Commission on Decolonization.
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, who serves as chairperson, has selected Mary Cruz, Ph.D., and John F. Reyes, Jr., to join her on the commission. The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration last week announced the nomination of Melvin Won Pat-Borja to serve as the Executive Director of the Commission on Decolonization.
The Commission on Decolonization will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. in the large Conference Room at the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex, Adelup.
“Dr. Mary Cruz is a scholar and writer who specializes in CHamoru identity. She has a prominent, respected voice in the self-determination conversation. Dr. Cruz offers a wealth of knowledge and will be important in the Commission’s agenda to inform the people of Guam on the various political status options in advance of a future vote,” said Gov. Leon Guerrero.
Lt. Governor Tenorio said, “John Reyes is invested in our island, evidenced by his active leadership roles in a number of local non-profits. His background in telecommunications and banking will offer a fresh perspective to the Commission of Decolonization.”
Cruz is an assistant professor of Political Science, CHamoru Studies, and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam where she has taught since 2006. She received her Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her dissertation is titled Re- Searching Identity: Being Chamorro in an American Colony. Cruz’s work has been published in distinguished journals and she has made over a dozen presentations at conferences in England, France, Tokyo, and in the Pacific Region on CHamoru identity, self-determination, and militarybuildup. She is presently involved with the New Zealand Studies Association, the Pacific History Association, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, and the Upsilon Nu - Guam Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha - National Political Science Honor Society.
John Reyes is the Vice President-Business Intelligence Manager for the Bank of Guam. He is responsible for the bank's Oracle applications management and implementation, data analytics, and reporting. Prior to moving back home to Guam in 2015, John served as the Vice President of Operations & Human Resources at Cloudbilt, Inc., a Salesforce.com ISV based in Charlotte, NC.
Reyes' career also spans 10 years in telecommunications with Sprint in Las Vegas, Nevada, and three years in healthcare informatics with Inovalon, Inc. in Maryland. John is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Regis University in Colorado with a Masters degree in Business Administration. He is also a proud University of Guam alumni. John serves as President and Chair of the board of the Guam Girl Scouts and is Chair of the Board of Mercy Action Marianas, Ltd., two non-profit organizations serving the island community through educational, leadership, financial and scholarship programs.