Saipan Tribune

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Pai quits NMC Foundation board

The Northern Marianas College Foundation board has lost another director after Joanna C. Pai tendered her resignation.

Pai, in an email response to Saipan Tribune, refused to comment about her departure from the foundation. Her resignation, however, was confirmed by foundation president Alan Markoff yesterday.

Pai's departure leaves the foundation with only two directors, Markoff and David Burger.

According to Markoff, the foundation is in the process of using the interviews that its former consultant Steve West did for the board to find replacements. Markoff said composition of the foundation is expected to reach eight to 10 in the coming weeks. He confirmed that the additional directors will come from the community sector.

The NMC Board of Regents established the NMC Foundation in 1999 for the purpose of acquiring, managing, and disbursing funds from alternative sources to support the advancement of NMC’s educational programs and services. The Foundation is a non-profit organization composed of community volunteers, primarily from the business sector, who are dedicated to improving higher education in the CNMI by encouraging private and public support for NMC.

Last year, the number of Foundation board members began to go down after NMC Board Regents members who sit on the board were barred from participating after their appointments were deemed “illegal.” Those eliminated included Juan T. Lizama and Frank Rabauliman. Among those who resigned were Ivan Quichoco and Yoichi Matsumura.

According to Markoff, “boards go through this sort of state when you have more than you need, sometimes you have less [members onboard].”