Jesse Quenga Executive Director Guam Commission for Educator Certification
Jesse John Quenga is the son of Mary Ann Quenga and hails from the southern village of Agat. Both he and his twin brother Anthony are graduates of Southern High School’s Class of 2009. After high school, he continued his education and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Master of Public Administration degrees. Jesse’s government career began at the Guam Department of Labor where he worked on federal grants through the Governor’s Serve Guam Commission. There he took part in establishing the Guam Volunteer Center and help to establish the AmeriCorps Alumni Association, Guam Chapter. He then moved to the Guam Community College under their College Access Challenge Grant Program (CACGP) where he helped manage the largest grant administered by the college with an annual appropriation of $1.5M. There he increased program activity and drastically decreased returned federal funds to lt. He continued his service when the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Public Welfare recruited him under the Bureau of Economic Security. The bureau manages $112M in federal funding, as is the eligibility-processing center for social service programs that include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Medically Indigent Program (MIP), and Cash Assistance (Welfare). As the state administrator for the SNAP program, he had purview over the federal reporting and federal site visits. His role was then expanded by the Chief of the DPHSS Division of Public Welfare to serve as the Quality Improvement and Assurance coordinator for the Northern, Central, and Southern processing centers. Jesse was acknowledged by the Department and was a finalist for the Government of Guam’s MAGPro Award for Inspiration and Encouragement. After nearly two years in this role, he returned to the University of Guam School of Business and Public Administration to establish and manage the Regional Center for Public Policy. Serving as the Assistant Director his work centered on research, grants, policy, and public/private partnerships. He also maintained responsibility as lead grant writer for the center’s budding portfolio. These research projects include the following publications: the Guam Self Determination Study (2020), the Guam Economic Report (2018, 2019), and the Guam Customs Study (2018). Nearly $300,000 was received in 2019 with an additional $100,000 to be awarded in 2020. In June 2020, Jesse was hired by the Guam Commission for Educator Certification to serve as the Commission’s Executive Director.
56 | 50 Under 40: Emerging Leaders in the Government of Guam
