Emma Perez is co-founder and President of 500 Sails, a Northern Mariana Islands non-profit organization dedicated to bringing traditional canoe culture back into the daily lives of the people of the Marianas. Emma moved from San Francisco, California to Saipan with her husband Pete Perez in 2013 in order to establish 500 Sails where her 30 years of non-profit finance and accounting experience, including oversight of millions of federal funds, have been critical to the organization’s success. In addition to heading the business operation, she develops programs, writes and manages grants, conducts outreach, develops partnerships in both government and private sectors, and teaches swimming and sailing to 500 Sails program participants. 

Her programmatic work started in earnest when she was part of the all-Chamorro, all-family Chamorro Flying Proa English Channel Relay Team that successfully swam the English Channel in 13 hours and 7 minutes in 2007.  This was done to raise funds for the 47-foot Chamorro Sakman Che’lu that was subsequently built and has become part of the 500 Sails’ fleet.

Emma’s work as a Chamorro cultural leader is well-known in the Marianas and has earned her numerous accolades, including the Guam Governor’s Ambassador at Large award in 2012 for her work promoting Guam’s cultural heritage, and most recently the 2019 Northern Mariana Islands Governor’s Humanities Award  for “Outstanding Humanities Teacher”.  While her work has touched many lives in the Marianas, what she has often said what she is most proud of is that for the first time after hundreds of  years, children born in the Marianas will have canoes in their lives, all their lives. 

Becky Furey is the Program Director for the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA). She is a Saipan-native with over eight years experience working in the nonprofit sector, grants and program management, and building local capacity in natural resource management and environmental stewardship. Her passion for the environment drives her to help MINA continue conservation efforts throughout the CNMI. Coming from a family of sea-faring people, it was only natural that she would desire to explore and protect the CNMI’s natural resources. Her time with MINA, her concern for the natural environment, and her passion for working with communities to ensure the island’s way of life, led her to complete a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy & Management.

Marianas Islands Nature Alliance (MINA) is proud to enter into this partnership with FOMT’s Project HOPE in the development and implementation of their Ocean Conservation Camps. Jolly Ann Cruz, Project Manager, will bring MINA’s eight years of experience in developing and presenting environmental education activities to sixth grade students that instill in them a passion for protecting and conserving the limited natural resources of the CNMI. Jolly Ann holds an AS in Natural Resources Management and a BS in Elementary Education, and with the support of MINA’S Tasi Watch Rangers and Administration, is excited to work with Laurie and the Project HOPE team in the years ahead.

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Alexis Hofschneider, owner, Hofschneider Management & Services leads the Friends social media planning, strategies, and content development. She is currently a contractor, but as Friends expands its budget capacity our goal is to add a full-time communications staff person. Alexis is candidate for this future position.

Sophia Perez acts as a Communications Consultant for Friends of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. She also writes and produces short educational documentaries for Marianas Variety and volunteers as a sailor for 500 Sails.

Sylvia co-founded, along with the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies alumnus, Dr. Monica Carr, The Everyday Peace Initiative, Peace research, education, and consulting: supporting people and communities to build peace through research and education.

Currently serves as a Research Affiliate with the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, and continues as a member of the Vakatele Pacific Research Network at Auckland University of Technology, after completing her position as the inaugural postdoctoral fellow with the Pacific Media Centre in 2018.

Sylvia continues to use new media platforms to archive her research data and share resources for others working Oceania. In addition, she created and curates the research-oriented Facebook page, Oceania Resistance to share her research in the Marianas Archipelago and highlight current issues impacting Oceania. Her work is linked through the hashtag #OceaniaResistance and her doctoral thesis is available as an e-book on the Guam-based website, Guampedia.

Dr. Beylul Solomon is an Associate Professor in the School of Education’s Rehabilitation and Human Services concentration at the Northern Marianas College. She has had several years of experience teaching undergraduate students as well as supervising research assistants as the doctoral, master, and undergraduate level. In addition to her teaching experience, Dr. Solomon has extensive research experience and expertise in the use of electrophysiological methods for examining emotion-attention interactions in children and adults using neurphysiological measurement approaches (EEG) and behavioral methodologies. For Project HOPE, Dr. Solomon is responsible for all aspects of Data Management, including survey creation and data analyses.

Dr. Solomon holds a B.A. degree in Social Sciences, a M.A. degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D in Developmental Psychology.