Rita Inos
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Rita Hocog Inos (May 12, 1954 - August 10, 2009) was a
Northern Mariana Island The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwea ...
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, activist and
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. Inos was the former Education Commissioner of the Northern Marianas school system and served on the
Northern Marianas College Northern Marianas College (NMC) is a public land-grant college in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The college was founded in Susupe in 1976. NMC today has three campuses on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and ...
Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...
. Inos was a two-time candidate for
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. Incumbent Governor Eloy S. Inos died on ...
, becoming the first woman to seek election to that particular office.


Early life

Inos was born Rita Hocog on May 12, 1954, in
Songsong Songsong is the second largest village on the island of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, United States. As of 2000, its population is 593. Songsong is located along the southern coast, in a narrow peninsula. The village's most recognizable lan ...
, Rota, the
Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...
. She was raised in Songsong as well.


Education

Inos graduated from Arlington High School in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
. She obtained her
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
from the
University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in 1979. Inos then received a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in educational
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
from
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
. Inos obtained a second
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in
school administration A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...
and supervision from
San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 1983. She finally earned a
doctorate in Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...
from the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
in 1994.


Career

Inos began her career in
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
as a
bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
at schools on
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
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 Northern Mariana Islands Public School System Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System (CNMI PSS) is a school district serving the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. Its headquarters are in Susupe, Saipan. Schools 7–12 schools Rota * Dr. R ...
(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 (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...
and the Pacific. Works authored by Inos include ''
Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...
Elementary Grades Reading Books'', ''Chamorro
Grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...
Workbook for Grades 4-8'' and the PSS Bilingual Program. Governor Benigno Fitial appointed Rita Inos to the
Northern Marianas College Northern Marianas College (NMC) is a public land-grant college in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The college was founded in Susupe in 1976. NMC today has three campuses on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and ...
Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...
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 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
.


Politics

Inos became the
running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...
for former
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Lorenzo I. De Leon Guerrero Lorenzo Iglecias "Larry" De Leon Guerrero (January 25, 1935 – October 6, 2006) was a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the third governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 1990 to 1994 and the first president of the Norther ...
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 can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Pedro Tenorio.
Benigno Fitial Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005, assum ...
, who called Inos one of his
mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
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 Advice (noun) or advise (verb) may refer to: * Advice (opinion), an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action, conduct * Advice (constitutional law) a frequently binding instruction issued to a constitutional office-holder * Advice (p ...
on
public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
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 In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...
, 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 Nekai Babauta (born September 7, 1953) is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 14, 2002 to January 9, 2006. Biography Early life and education Juan Babauta was ...
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 A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling, or the sibling of one's spouse, or the person who is married to the sibling of one's spouse.Cambridge Dictionaries Online.Family: non-blood relations. More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred ...
,
Eloy Inos Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos (September 26, 1949 – December 28, 2015) was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as t ...
, became the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2009, following Villagomez's resignation for a corruption conviction.


Death

Rita Inos died on August 10, 2009, at the Commonwealth Health Center in
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
,
Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...
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 daughter, Denise Lorraine. Her daughter Ana Blossom died in September 2012. 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 ( Old Japanese name: 茶覧, ''Charan'') is one of the settlements on Saipan, the largest of 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 ...
,
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
. 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.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inos, Rita 1954 births 2009 deaths Northern Mariana Island educators Northern Mariana Islands activists University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni USC Rossier School of Education alumni San Jose State University alumni People from Rota (island) Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Northern Mariana Islands women in politics Women school principals and headteachers American school principals 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators 21st-century American women