Board of Regents

Suzanne L. Gallen, Member (Pohnpei State)–(2019-Current)

Currently Country Officer – World Bank North Pacific Office
6 years international organizations and local diplomatic missions
11 years government public service including senior level program management and foreign service
2 years paralegal
Post-graduate Diploma in Development Studies, University of South Pacific;
Post-graduate Certificate in Diplomatic Studies/Foreign Service Programme, Oxford University, Oxford, UK;
Certificate in Pacific Diplomacy, University of South Pacific;
Certificate in Diplomacy, Chinese Foreign Affairs University;
BA in Political Science, University of Hawaii;
COM-FSM Robert C. Byrd Scholar; Diploma, Xavier High School

Geraldine Mitagyow, Member (Yap State) (2013-Current)

Currently Business Advisor at Yap SBDC
4 years as Peer Counseling Coordinator and Upward Bound Counselor at COM-FSM Yap Campus; Taught several certificate level courses while employed by COM-FSM
3 years as admin assistant to College President, Portland Community College, Portland, OR; Prior 3 years as assistant to Executive Director of LRC, Portland Community College, Portland, OR;
4 years at Yap Community Action Program as Administrative Officer and later as Deputy Director
Other experience: Co-founder and Board Member of a community-run non-profit fostering economic development activities based on traditional and innovative uses of coconut products/by-products since 2019; Participated in workshop sponsored by SPC Coconut Industry Development Program titled Pacific Coconut Sector Value Chain Workshop in 2017, Nadi, Fiji
BS, Business Marketing & Management, University of Oregon, Portland, OR; Certificate of Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Portland Community College

Lynn Sonden, Chairwoman – National Government (2024-Current)

Currently Congress Public Information Officer and Special Assistant to the Speaker for Public Relations & Protocol, Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia
18 years at the Congress of the FSM
7 years at the Office of the President
25 years of service in the National Government at senior administrative level
6 years with the San Diego Child Protective Services in Administrative Support
BS, in Mass Communication from the Eastern New Mexico University

Roger Arnold, Member (Chuuk State) (2026-Current)

Currently Chief Economist, Chuuk State Government, from 2018 to present. Primary responsibilities include compiling economic reports for the state annually, preparing the state’s annual budget, and conducting reviews of state activities on economic development.
20 years as a Professor at COM-FSM Chuuk Campus taught courses in business and math, which required continuous assessment of student learning outcomes and programs. Held for over 10 years, the position of Chairman for the Department of Business and Computer Science, which has 4 full-time and 2 part-time instructors.
4 years as Operations Manager at GS Fisheries by a managing firm based out of San Diego, CA that manages the operation of purse seine vessels owned by a joint venture between Chuuk State and an outside company.
For 4 years, he worked as a Peer Counselor for a student support program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The program targeted students of minority backgrounds to provide counseling in areas of tutoring, seeking financial assistance, and other needed supports.

Steven L. George, Member (Kosrae State) (2026-Current)

Currently Staff Economist, Economic Management Policy Advisory Team, FSM Dept of Economic Affairs.
He worked as a Director for the Kosrae Department of Resources & Economic Affairs (DREA).
He worked as an Executive Director of the Kosrae Housing & Rural Development Authority (HRDA).
He got his Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in Economics (1995) at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
He holds a Post Graduate Certificate (2000) from the Economic Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder.