Staff

Roberta Guerrero, Executive Director 

Roberta Guerrero, Executive Director, came to MINA in March, 2017.  Roberta has been a resident of Saipan since 1973, and brings over thirty years’ of business management experience to the organization.  She has also served in a volunteer capacity for numerous non-profit organizations on Saipan, co-founder of the annual American Red Cross Club 200 and Red Cross Walk-a-thon, and special charitable fundraising events sponsored by Off the Beaten Path.    She also served for six years as a Board Member of Marianas Visitors Authority where she co-founded the annual Taste of the Marianas, and served as overall Chair for the Visit the Marianas ’99 campaign to celebrate the turn of the Century and tourism in the Marianas.  Roberta holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Arts from California State University East Bay, and is a proud mother and grandmother.  She brings to MINA her passion for preserving and protecting the islands’ fragile environment for future generations.

 

Elizabeth (Becky) Ada Furey, Program Director

Becky serves as the Program Director for the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA). A Saipan native, she has been with MINA for over 12 years, leading programs that strengthen community engagement, build local capacity, and promote natural resource management across the CNMI. Inspired by her father's work in environmental management and her family's close relationship with the ocean, Becky is dedicated to empowering others to care for the islands' environment. She mentors Tasi Watch Community Rangers and emerging conservation leaders who help protect the CNMI's coastal and marine ecosystems. Becky holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy & Management. 

 

 

 

 

David Benavente, Program Manager

David Benavente is no stranger to marine conservation in the Marianas and throughout Micronesia. David obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Eastern Oregon University and an MS degree in Marine Biology from the University of Guam, with a specific focus on coral-reef fish ecology. As the Division of Coastal Resources Management’s (DCRM) former Lead Biologist, he brings over a decade’s worth of technical, research-based, and managerial experience with him. He has traveled throughout Micronesia and parts of Polynesia, conducting ecological surveys and building local capacity through training activities. His connection to the ocean motivates him to foster interest in STEM fields to local youth as he hopes to garner greater support for sustainable development which promotes resource conservation throughout the Marianas.

 

 

Mary Fem Urena, Program Manager

Andrea Roberto, Outreach Coordinator  

Daniel Ogumoro, Tasi Watch/Bring Back Our Trees Project Coordinator