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Tofoitaufa Sandra King Young
Executive Director
Mrs. Sandra King Young founded PICED in 2001 and as the Executive Director, oversees and manages PICED’s overall operational and financial development. King received her Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. and her Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
King served as Legislative Counsel to the Speaker of the American Samoa House of Representatives prior to founding PICED. Under the Clinton administration in 1999, she achieved the highest civil service appointment ever of any native Samoan when she was appointed to the position of Deputy Director for the Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs. King was a staff member for the Gore/Lieberman campaign in the 2000 elections and previous to that, a professional staffer on the U.S. Senate Rules Committee, where her oversight responsibilities included security, technology and information services, and strategic planning. Prior to serving in the Legislative and Executive branches, King worked full-time as a federally registered lobbyist while concurrently earning her law degree. She also has experience as a non-profit consultant.
Sandra holds the taupou title of Tofoitaufa in the Mailo family from Fagatogo. She is married to Mr. Peter Young of Nu’uuli and has one son.
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Moe Masoe
American Samoa Parent Information Resource Center Coordinator
Mr. Moe Feliuai Masoe is the American Samoa Parent Information Resource Center (ASPIRC) Coordinator, a project of PiCED. He coordinates trainings and activities for parents to increase parental involvement in children’s education. He also teaches SAT Math, as well as Algebra & Geometry for PiCED’s summer school program.
Mr. Masoe joined the PICED staff in May 2007, after working in the LDS Church Educational System in Samoa as a classroom teacher and administrator for more than 20 years. He received his Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from BYU-Hawaii Campus, Laie, Hawaii.
While taking up the Country Director position for the LDS Church Educational System in Samoa, including American Samoa, from 1999 to 2004, Moe also served as a member of the National University of Samoa Council. He was also a member of the Le Amosa o Savavau University Council in Samoa for 3 years. He has extensive regional experiences having served as a member of the Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Islands Area Council for the LDS Church Educational System during the time he was Country Director for Samoa.
Mr. Masoe is married to Makerita Taala of Saasaai, Savaii, and they have two children, a boy and a girl.
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Ruta Tauiliili-Mahuka
Writing Specialist
Mrs. Ruta Tauiliili-Mahuka develops and coordinates programs that support the delivery of PICED writing programs and outreach workshops to students and professionals within the community. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Art History from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1989. Ruta completed graduate coursework in curriculum and technology development; multicultural education, tele-healthcare and its applications in the Pacific Rim.
Prior to working at PICED, Ruta served as Publications and Public relations officer for the American Samoa Community College Institutional Advancement Division. Her responsibilities included writing and editing publications such as the institutions quarterly and annual reports; contacting and ensuring media coverage of institutional events, maintaining and updating a clearinghouse of current grant resources, official college documents, statistical and research reports and providing technical support to the Institutional Planner and Researcher.
After graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1989, Mrs. Tauiliili-Mahuka worked for a literacy project within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education at the University of Hawaii. She developed curricula for the workplace and workforce training in various employment situations. During this time, she assisted in editing and integrating a literacy and vocational curriculum guide designed to meet the needs of employees from nineteen hotels and small businesses in Honolulu. In addition, she co-taught a course for management trainees from Kyo-ya, a Japan-based parent company, in American culture and public speaking.
Mrs. Tauiliili-Mahuka continued in workplace literacy training with courses in inter-cultural relations for administrators, medical specialists, and general practitioners managing a diverse workforce. She developed literacy tools to better understand multicultural clients from the Pacific Rim at the Honolulu Straub Hospital.
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Charonne Ho Ching-Alaiasa
Student Services and Youth Empowerment for Success (YES!) Program Coordinator
Mrs. Charonne Ho Ching-Alaiasa is the Student Services and Youth Empowerment for Success (YES!) Program Coordinator. She provides college and financial aid counseling and helps student athletes register for the NCAA Clearinghouse. She is an active member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and is currently organizing the First Annual College Fair in American Samoa.
Charonne graduated from Samoana High School and was the president of the local Phi Theta Kappa chapter at the American Samoa Community College where she received her Associates of Arts in Liberal Arts. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Bringham Young University-Hawaii in 2002 where she was a recipient of the American Samoa Government Scholarship and the Makana Ike Recruitment Scholarship. Charonne was as an Academic Advisor for the BYUH Business School for four and half years before returning home to American Samoa to help her family. She resides in Mesepa with her husband and their children, Moepulouoleola and Filisa.
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Ms. Anntionette Talalefalealiioletuimanua Fisher
Assistant Student Services and Youth Empowerment for Success (YES!) Program Coordinator
Ms. Anntionette Tala Fisher is the Assistant Student Services and Youth Empowerment for Success (YES!) Assistant Program Coordinator. She provides college and financial aid counseling for high school students, student athletes, and college students. She is a member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and is currently assisting in organizing the Second Annual College Fair American Samoa.
Anntionette graduated from Samoana High School in 2003. She was the President of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at the American Samoa Community College where she graduated Class Salutatorian and received her Associates of Science degree in Business Management in 2005. She completed undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management in 2007. She was a recipient for the American Samoa Government Scholarship and was a Gates Millennium Scholarship Finalist. Anntionette was a full time student who worked 2 jobs as a Night Manager for Subway Makiki and a Undergraduate Academic Student Advisor for UH Manoa.
Anntionette returned to American Samoa to help care for her family, especially her ailing father and younger siblings. She resides in Fagatogo with her parents and 3 younger brothers.
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Gary King
Director of Outreach and Marketing
PICED’s most recent addition, Gary has an extensive background in design and marketing and is based out of Los Angeles. He is responsible for alumni outreach, building the online PICED community, helping the Executive Director to plan and execute the first PICED endowment campaign and to lay the foundation for the first of several PICED centers in the mainland U.S.
Gary was most recently the Manager of the Media Services Group for CataList Homes, where he specialized in corporate branding, public relations, identity design, advertising, graphic design, and media buys in the Southern California region. He was previously the Senior Designer for Bay Windows newspaper in Boston, MA, and prior to that, was a Senior Designer for the Harbus News, the student newspaper for Harvard Business School.
King graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington D.C.
