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OIA Staff & Divisions

  • Anthony M. Babauta
    Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas
      Wendy Fink, Counsel to the Assistant Secretary
      Kristen Oleyte, Senior Policy Advisor
      Rebecca Zepeda, Policy Advisor
      Feng (Jennifer) Weihao, Special Assistant
  • Nikolao Pula
    Director, Office of Insular Affairs
  • Tom Bussanich
    Director of Budget
  • Charlene Leizear
    Director of Technical Assistance
  • Wendy Fink
    Director of Policy

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Policy & Liaison Division

The Policy & Liaison Division serves several functions as identified below:

  • Serves as OIA’s liaison to the Congress, the four territorial and three freely associated state governments, other Federal agencies, the media and the public
  • Oversees (a) the Compact of Free Association trust funds for the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia and (b) annual budgets for two Marshall Islands atoll governments (Bikini and Rongelap)
  • Advances the rehabilitation of four Marshall Islands atolls (Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap and Utrik) and the resettlement of the peoples of the four atolls
  • Carries out the Secretary's responsibilities as the civil administrator of the Palmyra Atoll Excluded Areas and, as appropriate, the residual civil administrator of Wake Atoll
  • Maintains a field office in American Samoa and two field offices in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Randy Beffrey Communications, Administrative
Krystina Borja U.S. Virgin Islands
Ryan Edgar WHIAPPI Detailee
Tanya Harris Joshua FAS, IGIA, www.doi.gov/oia
Karen Koltes Coral Reef
Joseph McDermott Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Trust Funds
Wali Osman Economist
Stephen Sander Legislative Affairs
Francisco Taitano Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Angela Williams Guam, Energy, Economic Development

Office of Insular Affairs - Policy & Liaison Division
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-6816
FAX: (202) 219-1989


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Budget Division

This division budgets and accounts for OIA office expenditures and island grants. This division also maintains management for specially appropriated grant programs. 

  • Mark Brown – Compact Impact, CIP, Water and Wastewater grants in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Yvonne Carswell - Administrative Officer
  • Jonathan Dunn – Budget Issues
  • Annette Stewart – Grant Obligations and Payments, Budget
  • Marina Tinitali – Audits and Accountability
  • Field Offices in Hawaii, FSM and Palau report to Budget Division Director

Office of Insular Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-6971
FAX: (202) 208-7585


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Technical Assistance Division

The Division of Technical Assistance provides discretionary technical assistance funding to the insular governments, institutions and private firms which fall under OIA jurisdiction.

  • Mary Baltimore, Program Analyst/Grants Manager
  • Cheryl Jodoin – MAP Grants Manager
  • Faride Kraft, Deputy Director
  • Hailey McCoy – Program Assistant
  • Merriam Porter, Program Analyst/Grants Manager

Office of Insular Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-4707
FAX: (202) 208-1545


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OIA's Honolulu Field Office

This office manages Compact II requirements for finance, performance standards and sector grants for the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands.

  • Tim Donohue, Education Sector Grants Manager/SEG
  • Stephen Savage, Field Office Manager, Infrastructure, Compact Grants
  • Gerald Shea, Public Sector Capacity Building Grants Manager
  • Roylinne Wada, Special Assistant to the DAS on Health

Office of Insular Affairs – Honolulu Office
733 Bishop Street, Suite 2530
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Phone (808) 525-5088
Fax (808) 525-5399


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OIA Field Representatives

  • American Samoa – Lydia Faleafine-Nomura - (684) 633-2800
  • CNMI – Keith Augenbaugh - (670) 233-9439
  • CNMI – Jeffrey Schorr - (670) 234-8861
  • Vacant – FSM Field Officer (691) 320-2187
  • RMI – Al Fowler - (692) 247-4011
  • Vacant – Palau OIA Field Officer - (680) 488-2601
  • U.S. Virgin Islands – Basil C. Ottley, Jr. - (202) 320-5021

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Federal Ombudsman's Office

The Federal Ombudsman’s Office provides assistance to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' 30,000 plus nonresident workers with labor and immigration complaints. The Federal Ombudsman’s Office has a staff of professional caseworker/interpreters who speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, Tagalog, Bengali, Hindu, Urdu and Singhalese.

  • Pam Brown - Federal Ombudsman, Northern Mariana Islands
  • Hsiao-Fen "Sophie" Chin - Case Worker/Interpreter
  • Shao Yu "Mei" Liu - Administrative Assistant _ Case Worker/Interpreter
  • Mohammed "Ripon" Ahmed - Case Worker/Interpreter
  • Glen A. Buultjens - Case Worker/Interpreter
  • Cripulo B. Hilario - Case Worker/Interpreter

Federal Ombudsman’s Office
U.S. Department of Interior
Office of Insular Affairs
Suite 203
Marina Heights II
P.O. Box 502452
Saipan  MP 96950
Telephone: (670) 322-8030
Fax: (670) 322-8040
Email: ombudsman@federalombudsman.com


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U.S. Department of the Interior • Office of Insular Affairs
1849 C Street, N.W. • Washington, DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-6816 • FAX: (202) 219-1989
http://www.doi.gov/oia/
Last Updated on 10/13/11