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Obama Leaders to give talks at UOG’s Conference on Island Sustainability on Thursday

Obama Leaders to give talks at UOG’s Conference on Island Sustainability on Thursday

Obama Leaders to give talks at UOG’s Conference on Island Sustainability on Thursday


4/6/2021
Photo of Maya Soetoro
Maya Soetoro will moderate the CIS SEED Talks portion of the 2021 UOG Conference on Island Sustainability on Thursday. Soetoro is a consultant on the international team at the Obama Foundation and a faculty specialist at the University of Hawai`i.
Photo of Phillip Dy
Phillip Dy is the chief of staff at the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines. Dy has previously served in various organizations to support development, education, and disaster preparedness throughout Asia. Dy is one of four Obama Leaders who will speak in the CIS SEED Talks series on Thursday.
Photo of Yolanda Joab Mori
Yolanda Joab Mori is a climate-action activist from the Federated States of Micronesia. In 2017, she founded Island PRIDE (Promoting Resilience through Involvement, Development, and Education), a nonprofit organization working to empower islands in the face of climate change by engaging youth to be proactive stewards of their island environment. Mori is one of four Obama Leaders who will speak in the CIS SEED Talks series on Thursday. 
Photo of Liangyi Chang
Liangyi Chang is the Asia managing director of 350.org, an international movement working to discontinue the usage of fossil fuels and transition the world to renewable energy. Chang is one of four Obama Leaders who will speak in the CIS SEED Talks series on Thursday.
Photo of Kirsten Brosbøl
Kirsten Brosbøl was a 2019–2020 Obama Foundation Scholar with Columbia World Projects and launched 2030beyond, a do-tank organization that supports parliaments and people to accelerate action for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She will speak in the CIS SEED Talks series on Thursday. 
Photo of Te Puoho Katene
Te Puoho Katene is the executive director of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, a fund that supports workforce development and education in New Zealand. Katene is one of four Obama Leaders who will speak in the CIS SEED Talks series on Thursday.
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Four Obama Leaders from the Asia-Pacific region and one Obama Scholar will deliver sustainability-focused talks this week at the 2021 University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability. The speakers come to the conference’s virtual stage through a partnership between the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and the Obama Foundation Leaders program, which identifies and empowers emerging leaders to make an impact on critical issues in their communities and around the world.

The conference’s “CIS SEED Talks: Ideas Worth Cultivating” series has a similar format to TED Talks, which are influential talks of 18 minutes or less meant to spread ideas on range of topics.

The CIS SEED Talks will begin at 9:30 a.m. this Thursday.   

This year’s CIS SEED Talks speakers are:

  • Julian Aguon, International Human Rights Lawyer, Blue Ocean Law (Guam)
  • Kirsten Brosbøl, Former Member of Parliament and Minister of Environment for Denmark and Founder and CEO of 2030Beyond (Denmark)
  • Liangyi Chang, Asia Managing Director, 350.org (Taiwan)
  • Phillip Dy, Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice President of the Philippines
  • Te Puoho Katene, Executive Director, Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust (New Zealand)
  • Yolanda Joab Mori, Coordinator, Blue Prosperity Micronesia

The segment will be moderated by Maya Soetoro, a consultant on the international team at the Obama Foundation and a faculty specialist at the University of Hawai`i. Soetoro was previously the director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. During last year’s conference, she was a special guest and discussed the importance of looking to the past to address the issues of the future. 

The 12th annual University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability is taking place as a virtual event through Friday this week with “Islands Are Rising” as its theme. General conference registration is available for $20 and $10 for students. 

Register for the Conference