Rita Inos
Encyclopedia
Rita Hocog Inos, EdD
, (May 12, 1954 - August 10, 2009) was a Northern Mariana Island
educator, activist and politician
. Inos was the former Education Commissioner of the Northern Marianas school system and served on the Northern Marianas College
Board of Regents
. Inos was a two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
, becoming the first woman to seek election to that particular office.
, Rota
, the Northern Mariana Islands
. She was raised in Songsong as well.
in Arlington, Texas
.
She obtained her bachelor's degree
in liberal arts
from the University of Hawaii at Manoa
in 1979. Inos then received a master's degree
in educational anthropology
from California State University
.
Inos obtained a second master's degree
in school administration and supervision from San Jose State University
in California
in 1983. She finally earned a doctorate
from the University of Southern California
in 1994, becoming a Doctor of Education
.
as a bilingual teacher
at schools on Saipan
and Rota
in 1972. She would later serve as the principal of Rota Elementary School.
Inos became the Director of Programs and Services at the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) nonprofit from 1990 to 1994. She was promoted to the Deputy Director of the PREL Western Pacific Center from 1994 until 1998. Inos later became the chairperson of the PREL's board of directors from 2004 to 2006.
She served as the Education Commissioner of the Commonwealth of the North Mariana Islands Public School System (PSS) from June 1998 until December 2005.
Inos authored a number of scholarly and educational publications related to education in the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia
and the Pacific. Works authored by Dr. Inos include Chamorro Elementary Grades Reading Books, Chamorro Grammar
Workbook for Grades 4-8 and the PSS Bilingual Program.
Governor Benigno Fitial appointed Rita Inos to the Northern Marianas College
Board of Regents
in February 2006. She served as the board's chairperson from June 2006 until July 2008.
Additionally, Inos was elected as a delegate
from Rota in the Second Constitutional Convention of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1985. She chaired the Constitutional Convention's committee on finance
.
for former Governor Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero
in the 1997 gubernatorial election. Inos candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands marked the first time that a female candidate had sought that particular office. Guerrero and Inos were defeated in the 1997 election by fellow Republican
Pedro Tenorio
.
Benigno Fitial, who called Inos one of his mentor
s, ran for Governor in 2001 with Rita Inos as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor. The Fitial-Inos ticket ran under the Covenant Party
banner, which Fitial had founded in 2001, the same year as the general election. Fitial explained his choice of Inos for his running mate in 2009, saying, "I relied on her for advice
on public policy
issues concerning education. This is why I chose her to be my running mate in the 2001 CNMI general elections. Our plan was for me to focus on economic development
, while she handled important education issues. This is also why I nominated her to the Northern Marianas College's Board of Regents, where she served until she passed away."
Benigno Fitial and Rita Inos lost to Republican Juan N. Babauta
in the 2001 general election. Fitial would later be elected Governor in the 2005 general election
with a different running mate, Timothy P. Villagomez
.
Inos' brother-in-law
, Eloy Inos
, became the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2009, following Villagomez's resignation for a corruption conviction.
, Northern Mariana Islands
at the age of 55. Inos was rushed to the hospital at approximately 2 A.M. the same day, but was pronounced dead after doctors failed to revive her. She had been suffering from cancer for sometime, specifically breast cancer, but had not been bedridden. She was survived by her husband, Cristobal Songao Inos, and two children, Denise Lorraine and Ana Blossom.
The Saipan Municipal Council honored Inos with a resolution commemorating her life and work.
A memorial service for Inos was held at the Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Chalan Kanoa
, Saipan
. A second public viewing and memorial service were held on her native Rota island. Rita Inos' funeral mass took place at the San Francisco de Borja Catholic Church on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. She was buried in the San Jose Cemetery in Rota on the same day.
Edd
-Science and medicine:* Experimental Design Diagram* Electron-detachment dissociation, a fragmentation technique* Expected Date of Delivery, the estimated date when a woman will give birth* End-diastolic dimension-Technology:...
, (May 12, 1954 - August 10, 2009) was a Northern Mariana Island
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
educator, activist and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Inos was the former Education Commissioner of the Northern Marianas school system and served on the Northern Marianas College
Northern Marianas College
Northern Marianas College is a two-year community college located in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands . The college was founded in 1981 by Agnes McPheteres in a renovated former United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands hospital on Saipan where its main...
Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
. Inos was a two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has a self governing government consisting of a locally elected governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The current Lieutenant Governor is Eloy Inos, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created when...
, becoming the first woman to seek election to that particular office.
Early life
Inos was born Rita Hocog on May 12, 1954, in SongsongSongsong
Songsong is the largest village on the island of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, United States. As of 2000, its population is 1,321. Songsong is located along the southern coast, in a narrow peninsula. The village's most recognizable landmark is Mt. Taipingot, more commonly known as Wedding...
, Rota
Rota (island)
Rota also known as the "peaceful island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. It lies approximately 40 miles north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam...
, the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
. She was raised in Songsong as well.
Education
Inos graduated from Arlington High SchoolArlington High School (Arlington, Texas)
Arlington High School, located in Arlington, Texas, is a secondary school serving grades 9-12. It is one of the six high schools comprising the Arlington Independent School District. The current principal is Jennifer Young; the mascot is the Colt and the schools’ colors are Kelly Green and White...
in Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
.
She obtained her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
from the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
in 1979. Inos then received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in educational anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
from California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
.
Inos obtained a second master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in school administration and supervision from San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1983. She finally earned a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1994, becoming a Doctor of Education
Doctor of Education
The Doctor of Education or Doctor in Education degree , in Latin, Doctor Educationis, is a research-oriented professional doctorate that prepares the student for academic, administrative, clinical, or research positions in educational, civil, and private organizations.-Differences between an Ed.D...
.
Career
Inos began her career in educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
as a bilingual teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
at schools on Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and Rota
Rota (island)
Rota also known as the "peaceful island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. It lies approximately 40 miles north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam...
in 1972. She would later serve as the principal of Rota Elementary School.
Inos became the Director of Programs and Services at the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) nonprofit from 1990 to 1994. She was promoted to the Deputy Director of the PREL Western Pacific Center from 1994 until 1998. Inos later became the chairperson of the PREL's board of directors from 2004 to 2006.
She served as the Education Commissioner of the Commonwealth of the North Mariana Islands Public School System (PSS) from June 1998 until December 2005.
Inos authored a number of scholarly and educational publications related to education in the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and the Pacific. Works authored by Dr. Inos include Chamorro Elementary Grades Reading Books, Chamorro Grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
Workbook for Grades 4-8 and the PSS Bilingual Program.
Governor Benigno Fitial appointed Rita Inos to the Northern Marianas College
Northern Marianas College
Northern Marianas College is a two-year community college located in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands . The college was founded in 1981 by Agnes McPheteres in a renovated former United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands hospital on Saipan where its main...
Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
in February 2006. She served as the board's chairperson from June 2006 until July 2008.
Additionally, Inos was elected as a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
from Rota in the Second Constitutional Convention of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1985. She chaired the Constitutional Convention's committee on finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
.
Politics
Inos became the running mateRunning mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
for former Governor Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero
Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero
Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero was the third elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Biography:...
in the 1997 gubernatorial election. Inos candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands marked the first time that a female candidate had sought that particular office. Guerrero and Inos were defeated in the 1997 election by fellow Republican
Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands)
The Republican Party is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. In the 2001 gubernatorial election Juan Babauta of the Republican Party won with 42.8% of the vote...
Pedro Tenorio
Pedro Tenorio
Pedro P. Tenorio was the second and fifth elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.Tenorio was born on Saipan. He graduated from George Washington High School in Guam and attended the University of Guam. He has worked as a schoolteacher, a shipping...
.
Benigno Fitial, who called Inos one of his mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
s, ran for Governor in 2001 with Rita Inos as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor. The Fitial-Inos ticket ran under the Covenant Party
Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands)
The Covenant Party is a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands advocating government and financial reform. In the legislative elections of 2003, the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. In the 2005 elections, the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the...
banner, which Fitial had founded in 2001, the same year as the general election. Fitial explained his choice of Inos for his running mate in 2009, saying, "I relied on her for advice
Advice (opinion)
Advice is a form of relating personal or institutional opinions, belief systems, values, recommendations or guidance about certain situations relayed in some context to another person, group or party often offered as a guide to action and/or conduct...
on public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
issues concerning education. This is why I chose her to be my running mate in the 2001 CNMI general elections. Our plan was for me to focus on economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, while she handled important education issues. This is also why I nominated her to the Northern Marianas College's Board of Regents, where she served until she passed away."
Benigno Fitial and Rita Inos lost to Republican Juan N. Babauta
Juan N. Babauta
Juan Nekai Babauta is a Northern Mariana Islander politician. Babauta served as the sixth elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for one term from January 14, 2002 until January 9, 2006....
in the 2001 general election. Fitial would later be elected Governor in the 2005 general election
Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election, 2005
The Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election of 2005 were the closest gubernatorial election in history, and resulted in the election of Benigno Fitial as Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. Fitial narrowly defeated independent Heinz Hofschneider and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N...
with a different running mate, Timothy P. Villagomez
Timothy P. Villagomez
Timothy Pangelinan Villagomez was the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands who served under current Governor Benigno R. Fitial until his resignation on April 26, 2009. Villagomez took office as Lieutenant Governor on January 9, 2006, after being elected as a ticket during the 2005...
.
Inos' brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
, Eloy Inos
Eloy Inos
Eloy Songao Inos is a politician in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Inos, a member of the Covenant Party, currently serves as Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. He was nominated by Governor Benigno Fitial to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Lt....
, became the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2009, following Villagomez's resignation for a corruption conviction.
Death
Dr. Rita Inos died on August 10, 2009, at the Commonwealth Health Center in SaipanSaipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
at the age of 55. Inos was rushed to the hospital at approximately 2 A.M. the same day, but was pronounced dead after doctors failed to revive her. She had been suffering from cancer for sometime, specifically breast cancer, but had not been bedridden. She was survived by her husband, Cristobal Songao Inos, and two children, Denise Lorraine and Ana Blossom.
The Saipan Municipal Council honored Inos with a resolution commemorating her life and work.
A memorial service for Inos was held at the Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Chalan Kanoa
Chalan Kanoa
Chalan Kanoa is a settlement in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located in the southwest of the island. The village contains the island's central post office, as well as the historic Mt Carmel Catholic Church. Mount Carmel School, Home of the Knights, one of the best schools on...
, Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. A second public viewing and memorial service were held on her native Rota island. Rita Inos' funeral mass took place at the San Francisco de Borja Catholic Church on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. She was buried in the San Jose Cemetery in Rota on the same day.