Tinian’s Mendiola-Long is selected to attend National Leadership Academy

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies has selected Tinian’s Phillip Mendiola-Long to attend the National Leadership Academy for Elected and Appointed Officials from May 6 -7 in Washington, DC.

Mendiola-Long is a current U.S. Department of Commerce appointee for the Obama Administration for the Hawaii Pacific Export Council representing the Northern Mariana Islands and he is also the current president and chairman of the Tinian Chamber of Commerce.

Established in 1999, the two-day National Leadership Academy provides Asian American and Pacific Islander elected and appointed officials with intensive nonpartisan training needed to excel in their field as well as prepare them for opportunities to advance into higher office.

Over 90 elected officials have been accepted into the Leadership Academy since its inception.

There will be one track of nonpartisan advanced communications training for elected and appointed officials. A second nonpartisan track, which Mendiola-Long will be attending, will be for campaign managers and community leaders who are contemplating a future in public office.

The two-day program includes: Individualized training sessions led by policy experts, campaign strategists, fundraisers, online media specialists, and Members of Congress. Also included are networking opportunities with elected officials, political appointees, community leaders, and corporate sponsors and then finally meetings with national Democratic and Republican campaign committees.

Those who are eligible are all current and former elected officials of Asian Pacific American descent. Rare exceptions may also be made for candidates who are currently running or have made plans to run for political office in the near future. Mendiola-Long was selected as one of those “rare” non-elected exceptions, but according to Mendiola-Long he has no immediate plans to run for office.

“I am not going to say that I haven’t thought of running for office, of course I have. In fact, many people are urging me to run for political office in this year’s election. However, I don’t think I am ready. Before I run for office, I want to be sure that I have all the training, all the tools, and as much of the knowledge necessary to create and offer the detailed solutions necessary to fix many of our island’s problems we face today. I want to make sure I deliver on any promises I make to our people and right now, I need to make sure I have the tools to make good on that delivery and promise. This is why I think this Leadership Academy is vital for any political future I may have. But right now…“no”…I have no plans to run for political office this year or anytime in the next few years. Right now, I am 100 percent focused on learning as much as possible and I am honored to be one of the 10 people selected nationwide to attend this prestigious leadership academy,” said Mendiola-Long.

Academy participants are also provided with a stipend to offset the costs of travel, lodging, and personal expenses, as well as complimentary tickets to the APAICS Annual Gala Awards Dinner and VIP Reception.

This year’s National Leadership Academy is held in conjunction with the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators and the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials of the National League of Cities. The Academy will end with the hosting of the 18th Annual Gala Awards dinner, titled “Milestones: Journeying Forward,” which will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. This event will be one of the largest gatherings of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, government and business leaders in the nation’s capital.

APAICS was founded alongside the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 1994 by former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and former Rep. Robert A. Underwood.