Jesse Quenga

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.

In addition to his professional career, Jesse’s academic experience includes teaching for UOG’s Professional and International Programs in Global Compass Communication, English Communication, Business Management, Ethics in Government, and Boardsmanship. He also guest lectured for both the School of Business and Public Administration’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Operations & Project Management, Data Analysis in Public Administration, Impact of Government Regulatory Administration on Business, Administrative Thought, Administrative Law, Leadership and Social Responsibility of Organizations and MPA Practicum. Today, he is part-time faculty teaching in the undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses taught include Government Finance, Public Policy and Administration, Public Personnel Administration, Public Finance and Fiscal Policy, Special Topics in Public Administration Management Strategies - Public Policy and Governance, Internships, Special Projects, and Thesis.

As well, Jesse is an active and engaged citizen in our local community, having served in numerous professional and community organizations and boards. At the University of Guam he was elected and served as a member of the UOG Staff Council, former Chairman for the UOG Regent Nominating Council, and former President of the UOG Student Government Association. Outside the University, he currently serves as Chairman of the Guam Academy Charter Schools Council, and has previously served on the Guam Board of Education, the Governor’s Serve Guam Commission, Governor’s PEACE Council, Guam Commission on Decolonization, and the Guam Youth Congress.

In the community, he is a member of Rotary International and serves as President-elect / Vice-President for the Rotary Club of Pago Bay Guam, Founding member for the I’ina Guahan Chapter of Toastmasters International, and member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizen’s Academy Alumni Network – Guam Chapter.

In 2020, he was named a Delegate in the Young Pacific Leaders Program; a youth leadership development program organized by the U.S. Department of State and is part of the class of 2021 for the Executive Leadership Development Program, a program commissioned by the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Insular Affairs.