$63

Sponsored by DLR Group

A celebration of the WMA and UMA Communities with special guest speaker Laufou Jacob Fitisemanu Jr., Director, Sāmoana Integrated Learning Initiative

Jake Fitisemanu was born in Aotearoa/New Zealand and raised in Hawaiʻi and Utah. Jake studied anthropology (BS) and public health (MPH) at Westminster University and is currently a doctoral student (DrPH) at Johns Hopkins University. Since 2009, Jake's museum research has centered on colonial era belongings from Sāmoa and Polynesia. A Harvard Oceania Collections Engagement fellow and a consultant for the Bishop Museum, his work has been featured in the Chase Home Museum, Utah Cultural Celebration Center, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Bishop Museum, and Utah Historical Quarterly (2026). He was appointed by President Obama as a White House Commissioner for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in 2015 and served as an advisor to the National Academy of Medicine until 2025. Jake served seven years on the City Council of West Valley City, Utah prior to being elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2025.