|
 Biography
Mary Ann Taufa’asau Tulafono
Mrs. Mary Ann Taufaasau Tulafono was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa on August 15, 1951. She was raised in American Samoa and later attended the University of Hawaii. Her professional background and work experience is in the finance and banking industry.
Mrs. Tulafono became American Samoa’s First Lady on April 7, 2003 when her husband, Togiola Talalelei Tulafono, was sworn in as Governor after the sudden passing of former Governor Tauese Sunia and then inaugurated on January 3, 2005 as the fifty-second Governor of American Samoa.
As the First Lady of American Samoa, Mrs. Tulafono provides leadership of interagency councils, governing and advisory boards and executive committees with a deliberate focus on engaging all stakeholders around an issue that is of importance to both the First Lady and Governor Togiola.
She has served as Chair of the Development Bank of American Samoa and the Part C Early Intervention Program, serving infants and toddlers from birth to three with developmental disabilities. She is an environmentalist who persistently promotes a safe and healthy community through her Beautify Your Environment Committee and village-based projects. She spearheads territorial efforts for cultural preservation and is a strong advocate for the Humanities and Fine Arts as the Chair of the American Samoa Museum Board of Trustees.
At an international level, the first lady served as an adviser to the American Samoa Delegation to the United Nations for the 1999 U.N. Conference on Small Island Nations' Sustainable Development.
In 2006, Mrs. Tulafono joined the national effort against childhood drinking with her TA’ITA’ITAMA Prevent Underage Drinking Initiative when she became an official member of the National Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a non-profit, non-partisan national organization of Governor’s Spouses concerned about the harmful effects of underage drinking. Mrs. Tulafono works collaboratively with the Departments of Human and Social Services, Health, Education, Public Safety, Criminal Justice and the District Court, in addition to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and community coalitions working to reduce the negative consequnces of underage drinking. She partners with the Gear Up American Samoa project and teaches kids healthy decision-making skills and peer resistance against negative peer pressure. Through the TA’ITA’ITAMA initiative, the First Lady directs social marketing strategies and compliance efforts funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant.
In April, 2009, Mrs. Tulafono was honored and recognized by Rear Admiral Eric Broderick, Acting Administrator for the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for her commitment to substance abuse prevention. She is American Samoa’s champion of underage drinking prevention.
She founded the Maugaoalii Government House Historical Society in January, 2010 to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and historical significance of the “Government House” for future generations. She is passionate about the youth of American Samoa and actively promotes overall health and wellness, physical fitness and positive youth development throughout all of her initiatives. Mrs. Tulafono stands with Governor Togiola in promoting strong cultural and family values and reinforces the importance of family bonding and healthy relationships between parents and their children. They have six children and several grandchildren.
|
