Peter is appointed as NMI’s 1st female Public Auditor

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, right, appoints Kina Borja Peter, CPA, to serve as Public Auditor for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR)

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres appointed Kina Borja Peter, CPA, yesterday to serve as Public Auditor for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. If confirmed, she will be the first female to serve as Public Auditor.

Peter replaces outgoing Public Auditor Michael Pai, CPA, who was appointed by then-governor Benigno R. Fitial and served for the last 12 years. Peter’s appointment requires the advice and consent of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. She immediately serves as acting Public Auditor until confirmed by both chambers of the Legislature.

“The Public Auditor and the Office of the Public Auditor play a significant role in ensuring an efficient and ethical government for the people of the Commonwealth. It is a position of great responsibility demanding a highly qualified individual, and Ms. Peter is exceedingly qualified for the position. She is a certified public accountant and has over 20 years of accounting experience with Deloitte, a Big Four audit firm in the CNMI and Seattle, Washington and, most recently, for Boeing Company, a multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 company and one of the largest aerospace manufacturers in the world. We look forward to seeing her back home to fulfill her constitutional duties professionally,” Torres said.

A former senior finance leader, senior accountant, senior manager, and accounting manager for Boeing, Peter supervised project development activities, led in the building of viable financial business plans, initiated financial accounting and reporting processes, led the Hong Kong Regional Finance Center international team across multiple Asia-Pacific locations, and managed over 20 Boeing subsidiaries, and led multiple teams in Washington, Hong Kong, and San Diego.

“I am grateful to be nominated and appointed acting Public Auditor for the CNMI government. It is a tremendous privilege, and I humbly thank Gov. Torres and Lt. Gov. Palacios for giving me the opportunity to serve our people and our community,” said Peter. “I am humbled to be given the opportunity to be a part of the work to help our Commonwealth recover from this worldwide pandemic. The audit of public funds and government agencies will be a challenge, but one I am ready to undertake so I can be a part of our solution.”

In addition to her time at Boeing, she served as senior auditor for Deloitte in Seattle, Washington and on Saipan, where she led and supervised audit engagement teams and helped audit staff develop skills required for successful completion of audit assignments. She managed various audit engagements for various public and private companies in the Seattle area and successfully executed audit engagements for government agencies, trust funds, non-profit organizations, and private companies across Micronesia.

Peter graduated from the University of Portland in Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting and is a Washington licensed Certified Public Accountant. (PR)