Bautista is named press secretary

Bautista

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres recently appointed Kevin Bautista to serve as press secretary for the Office of the Governor.

Bautista, who has been acting press secretary since March, succeeds Rep. Ivan A. Blanco (R-Saipan), who moved on to represent Precinct 3 in the 20th Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature. 

“Kev has been a part of my team since 2015 when I was lieutenant governor. He has assisted in the development of policies, worked on legislation, and has directed our communications for the administration. He is honest, passionate, and has good judgment. I’m confident that he will demonstrate the integrity needed for this role as move forward,” Torres said.

Prior to this new position, Bautista served as policy analyst and special projects coordinator for the Office of the Governor under chief of staff Matthew DeLeon Guerrero.

Bautista described his role as a position of advocacy and accountability.

“The press secretary is an advocate for the public’s right to know about their government and to communicate the governor’s priorities through our media partners. Our community has an insatiable appetite for content and deserves the right to be well-informed and to keep the administration accountable. Under Gov. Torres’ leadership, this administration will continue to make sure the public is kept aware of what happens on Capital Hill, so that there is a real sense of public efficacy within our community,” he said.

He noted that the administration is currently working on new initiatives to ensure better communication with the community and more transparency.

“The administration is devoting itself to being a more effective rapid response team that can handle disasters and crises in an effective and expedient manner. In times of high stress and emergency, every piece of vital information will now be streamlined to run through the appropriate agencies like [the Department of Public Safety], [Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services], and [Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management] and then delivered to the community in an accurate and transparent fashion,” he said.

Bautista was an intern in Washington, D.C. in 2014 for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management-Office of Diversity and Inclusion and for the OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates, one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander civil rights organizations in the country. 

He was a research assistant for the University of Michigan Institute of Social Research from 2013 to 2014 and a research assistant for the University of Michigan Department of Political Science from 2012 to 2013. 

He received his bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in history and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies from the University of Michigan. (PR)