ESGR presents annual awards to CNMI employers

Five CNMI employers were presented last Thursday with the Secretary of Defense’s Patriot Award, recognizing them for going above and beyond in working with their employees who are military reservists.

This fiscal year’s Patriot awardees are Division of Environmental Quality director Zabrina Cruz, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Dr. Martin Rohringer, Labor Secretary Leila Staffler, Northern Marianas Housing Corp.’s Wilfred Villagomez, and CNMI Workforce Investment Agency director Frances Torres. The five were nominated by service members under their employment.

In addition, the Above and Beyond corporate award went to the Department of Labor Workforce Investment Agency, and the Seven Seals Award went to David M. Sablan.

The awards are presented by the Guam-CNMI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve during an event called “Lunch with the Boss.” Last Thursday’s event took place at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan and was attended by over 70 U.S. service members and their civilian employers, including Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, new CNMI-Guam ESGR chair Cathy Gogue, and several dignitaries.

The occasion highlighted and informed employers and service members of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act law, and recognized employers who observe that law and go beyond to support not only their military employees, but their country in general, releasing them when called into service and keeping their jobs available for service members upon their return.

Along with the awarding and information session, special guest speaker, Dr. John Tudela, who is a Colonel State Air Surgeon for Guam’s Air National Guard, shared his experiences and the importance of employer support for military employees. Dialogue was also opened in the meeting and employers and service members had the opportunity to share their questions, and comments after the presentations.

In a later interview, Gogue said: “The turnout was amazing. …Because of the cost we don’t come out here often, so for us to do this…was an amazing event. At ESGR, we want to make sure that there is that harmony between employers and service members. We want to make sure that we continue to educate our service members as well as employers of their rights.”

Gogue said the team aligned this meeting with their Annual Planning Training and Integration Meeting on Friday and Saturday with reserve components representing the U.S. Army Reserve, Guam National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy Reserve.

She said the group will not only be arranging meetings but also checking on how they can improve. One of the things on the agenda will be discussion on bringing ESGR’s Bosslift opportunities to employers here. That’s when employers go through different simulation experiences, whether shooting drills, or refueling missions, etc., to experience what their employees do on a weekend drill or annual training.

“…We can have these employers better understand what their service members do during a weekend drill or annual trainings,” she said. “…I’m excited for the future as we move forward. I think, as a committee, we have a lot to look forward to. Not only are we are looking toward advancing our committee, but we’re also envisioning how we can be productive for our communities in Guam and the CNMI.”

Gogue became the Guam-CNMI ESGR chair at the beginning of the fiscal year in October 2023. She described it as intimidating at first since the armed services is usually a male-dominated environment.

She credited her mentors for her present position and shared that, although it may appear challenging, she has great shoulders to lean on. “I’ve got great mentors, I have a lot of good people who have set up the foundation, I’m just here to bring it forward,” she added.