Governor of Guam, Lourdes Leon Guerrero says to never say no, take the risk and have fun along the way to Young Pacific Leaders on their entrepreneurial journey.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
Waking up every day with a clear sense of purpose is what drives Governor of Guam, the Honorable Lourdes Leon Guerrero to keep making great strides in her role of overseeing the United States territory.
“When you are clear on your purpose, you get the energy to go on your day and then finding the strategy to address an issue is the challenge which gets me going,” Governor Leon Guerrero says.
The Governor, who is also the Founding President of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, provided huge inspiration for 25 Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) from around the region, who gathered for the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Dreams Become Reality Conference, in Mangilao, Guåhan.
As a career woman, who started out as a registered nurse, to become the President and CEO of the Bank of Guam, a senator, and the first female Governor of Guam, while also raising a family, the 74-year-old says everything she has done boils down to her goal of making life better for her family and island community.
“I was a nurse by profession for over 20 years and became a senator because I felt no one was making healthcare a priority in Guam,” Governor Leon Guerrero says.
“I did not want to be a complainer, but part of the solution and I saw policy as a way to make progress and it is why I moved forward as a senator for 10 years.”
After her father and brother, who had run the Bank of Guam successively, both succumbed to cancer in a three-year period, she was asked by the Board to take over as President and CEO – a far cry from nursing, but a career path with a similar overarching aim.
“While it is a totally different space, banking provides financial assistance to people so they can prosper, as does healthcare…when you see people appreciating what you do, it motivates you – and when you see happy and healthy children it fills you with energy.”
Her life experience has influenced the way she has led Guam since taking office in 2019, eliminating GovGuam’s $83 million general fund deficit, paid tax refunds the fastest in Guam’s history, raised salaries for nurses, law enforcement officers, and teachers, and ended two costly federal receiverships.
Within her first year in office, she worked with the Guam Legislature to raise the minimum wage, legalize cannabis, and deliver millions in long-overdue war reparations to Guam’s World War II survivors.
Throughout the Covid pandemic, she created Guam’s first-ever unemployment program, distributed recover aid, and achieved one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation and continues to champion healthcare initiatives.
Engaging with the next crop of future leaders and women entrepreneurs from around the Pacific is very exciting, Governor Leon Guerrero says.
“This mode of group gathering can only help to people to improve and expand in their area of expertise…following the conference, I hope the group continue to connect and communicate with each other and share their experiences – these real-life experiences provide the confidence and strength to continue in entrepreneurship.
“My advice to you is to never say no, take the risk and along the way, have lots of fun.”
Re-elected in 2022 for her second term, Governor Leon Guerrero is focused on both new and ongoing challenges, such as hosting the US military and its facilities in its increased efforts to provide security and resilience in the Indo-Pacific region, while also protecting traditional Chamorro land and culture.
Driven by her beliefs and culture, seeing her fellow Guam islanders prosper remains the Governor’s number one priority.
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more details on the US Department of State initiative.
