Director Spotlight: Tafaimamao Tua Tupuola (AS)

1. What inspired you to enter the IDD field?

I graduated from American Samoa Community College with a degree in Business Management. Like many local graduates at the time, I applied under the Department of Education as a Deaf Class Instructor as my first employment on island.

I wasn’t deeply familiar with the full spectrum of disabilities until I began working at the University Affiliated Program, currently known as the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). As questions poured in from trainees, family members, and colleagues, I quickly realized how much I still had to learn. My curiosity became fascinated with the interplay of local and federal policies in the developmental disability space wanting to understand their differences, when to apply them, and why certain foundational concepts need to be understood before exploring others. 

Just surrounding myself with a great network of people with possibilities really inspires my work in the field.

2. Which priorities are guiding your work this year?

The Home and Community-Based System is really guiding my life over the next 5 years. Learning the complexities of this system while simultaneously visualizing how it can be tailored to American Samoa helps us identify the exact safeguards needed to prepare our community. Our top priority is ensuring that American Samoa is fully ready to transition eligible individuals through the Money Follows the Person program.

3. What place best reflects the spirit of your state/territory?

I would say, Saipan, Northern Marianas. We share similar Pacific vibrations in health, education, advocacy, and geographic isolation.