John J. Rivera is an accomplished executive with more than 15 years of diverse professional and academic experience. Throughout Guam and the region John has worked with a array of companies from startup to global brands, federal, and public sector to nonprofits. Currently, he is the Director of Human Resources and Corporate Development for the CITADEL Pacific, Ltd, responsible for the people operations and economic development policy in Guam and Micronesia. John’s expertise and forte is in Human Capital Innovation through Agile Leadership Transformation and Organizational Development - specializing in Emotional Intelligence, Personality Type, and Strategic Talent Capacity Building. He has a solid track record of proven success and a strong portfolio of professional credentials. His skill sets are complemented by some of the most prominent talent developmental assessments in the market today. John is the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (GHURA) Board of Commissioners Chair; assisted in the establishment of the FBI Guam Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association as the founding board vice president and Immediate Past President; is an Honorary Deputy Chief of Police; a founding board member and Past President of the Rotary eClub of Pago Bay Guam; was a member of the SHRM Guam Board of Directors; was the first faculty to concurrently hold both the School of Business and Public Administration (SBPA) Graduate Programs Chair positions (PMBA and MPA), was the Program Chair for the BOH Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was co-founder and director for the Regional Center for Public Policy, was recognized as Who’s Who in the Government of Guam: 40 Years and Under, 50 Under 40 Emerging Leaders in the Government of Guam, was named the 2020 UOG Triton Faculty of the Year Award winner, and was also among the inaugural speakers for TEDx Hagåtña in 2021.During his time in academia, he won numerous awards and accolades for his program’s projects, both local and national; founded several honor societies; raised program caliber; and embarked on legacy projects with noteworthy social impact for Guam and Greater Micronesia. Under his leadership the MPA program earned the prestigious NASPAA Accreditation (the global standard in public service education), ranked 22nd in Public Administration/Management in Far East Asia in the 2022 Eduniversal Ranking for Best Masters in the World, was the first program in the UOG’s history to rank in U.S. news and World Report (among the Best Public Affairs Programs) and won the 2020 UOG Triton Institutional Prestige Award.