Conchita SN Taitano
- Vice-Chairperson, Board of Directors
- Port Authority of Guam
- https://www.portofguam.com/
Conchita SN Taitano is a Pacific Islander and serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Port Authority of Guam Board of Directors, where she has served since 2022. Her portfolio includes Port Sustainability and Climate Change Resilience, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks.
After over 30 years of service, Ms. Taitano retired from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and was the former Air and Land Division Administrator. In this capacity, she oversaw comprehensive environmental programs including air quality, hazardous waste management, pesticides regulation, and solid waste management with extensive coordination with the U.S. EPA.
A nationally recognized environmental leader, she served as the 45th President of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) from 2019-2020, becoming the first individual from the U.S. territories and of color to hold this position. She was elected Vice President of the Association by 50 States, 5 Territories and the District of Columbia and earlier served as Region 9 Board Member, representing the U.S. Pacific Territories, Arizona, Nevada, California and Hawaii. She was recognized as an Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Honoree by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 2021.
Ms. Taitano was the focal point for Guam’s groundbreaking Zero Waste Plan and served as Executive Director of the Zero Waste Working Group under gubernatorial appointment.
Her international experience includes serving as Special Representative on Research & Knowledge Management for the Micronesian Center for a Sustainable Future, appointed by former Presidents of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. She served as a Private Sector Advisor on the US Delegation and presented at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) IGR-2 meeting in Beijing. Additionally, she has served as a technical resource for training events sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and USEPA across the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions.
Ms. Taitano holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. She holds a Professional Certificate in Sustainability from MIT, where she received the Fire Hydrant Award for her group’s Impact Project for Mexico City, and she has completed advanced certifications in Environmental Policy Making and Negotiations from UNESCO Water Institute in the Delft, Netherlands, and Environment and Sustainable Development from the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan.