Inafa'maolek

Michaela Ruiz Chaco is a dedicated educator and advocate committed to advancing equity in education and uplifting Pasifika communities. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Teaching from the University of San Francisco, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Indigenous Education. Michaela has worked across the educational spectrum—as a classroom teacher, curriculum developer, and currently as an administrator supporting future educators at Stanford University.

Michaela’s experience growing up mixed race in the CHamoru diaspora has deeply shaped her passion for reconnecting Pasifika communities to their cultural heritage and affirming the diverse realities of diasporic identity. Her roots trace back to the villages of Hågat and Tamuning on Guåhan, where her grandparents were raised—much of her work is grounded in their guidance and love. She centers Indigenous pedagogy in her work, emphasizing storytelling, land-based learning, and the integration of ancestral and contemporary knowledge. Michaela is honored to uplift and serve her CHamoru community as a board member of Inafamaolek.us.

Verna is a parent to a multiracial daughter and is Nana (grandmother) to two boys. Both her parents are CHamoru (indigenous to Guam) and came to the mainland US after her father was stationed at Alameda Naval Base. Her father later became a firefighter then soon passed away at the age of 37 due to cancer. Her mother Rita was left to raise 5 young children. Rita expressed an unconditionally deep love, with an unwavering insistence that education and family were the central values of life.

​Verna graduated from USF, Stanford and UC Berkeley with a double masters in educational administration. She has been an educator for almost 40 years, focused on educational success, lifetime fitness, and wellness. She has been an Athletic Director for 24 years and an Athletic Coach for 25 years, winning 7 basketball school championships. She was a 27 year Physical Education teacher and currently works as a Program Administrator in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

After contemplation in 2020 following the Alameda School Board election, Inafamaolek.us was created to serve Bay Area CHamoru communities. In 2021, Verna led the the first ever SFUSD Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI), 5th, 8th, and Senior Graduation Ceremony. Verna currently continues to serve her community. In 2023, she coordinated an SFUSD Pacific Islander Wellness Festival, partnering with community and SFUSD in line with the opening of the Pacific Island Heritage District in San Francisco.

Verna values extended family relationships and believes love is at the core of all things. Educational attainment and being a part of community is necessary to support and uplift each other. She also values making connections with others to empower and support, seeing and valuing the good in all people for the collective good. She brings these values daily, as well as her lived experiences, to her leadership with Inafamaolek.us.

Rawlin Castro foremost is an energetic leader and problem-solver.

With over 25 years in both public and private sectors, Rawlin has consistently overseen the successful implementation and opening lines of communication between clients, customers, and businesses to get projects done. Rawlin has direct experience in management consultation, team-building, professional development, strategic implementation, and company collaboration.

Rawlin is a retired Army field-grade officer with extensive low and mid-level organizational experience with both command and staff responsibilities in combat and during peacetime. He lives by and conducts his actions by the creed “Mission First – People Always.”

Army Command and General Staff College graduate.

Rawlin enjoys traveling and immersing himself in the different local cultures around the world. He is very active and outgoing, and is passionate about physical fitness. He welcomes spending any free time hiking with his wife Maggie and family dog Rusty.

Rawlin attained his B.S. as a Chemical Engineer from U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Yvonne brings 15+ years of experience in Accounting and Procurement. She has held roles across various Bay Area tech companies.

She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and has resided in San Mateo County with her husband for the past 20 years. Yvonne has three young adult children and she is of Chamorro descent, with parents that immigrated to the states and were challenged with many unknown resources available. Yvonne feels a sense of duty to ensure awareness within the Chamorro community and that her children and children’s children will continue to learn and appreciate their rich cultural history. Yvonne is excited to help build with Chamorro and other communities through education, health, wellness and staying connected.

Elizabeth is an energetic Chamoru community volunteer who manages the marketing, online community outreach, and public communications of Inafamaolek.us.

Elizabeth grew up on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she developed a love for nature and conservation, art, and learning. She recently graduated from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, and attained a B.S. in Anthropology & Geography, with concentrations in Statistics and Environmental Studies. Her undergraduate research specialized in ethnographic research methods & methodologies. She remains engaged and interested in uniting research with the values of inafa'maolek (to strive for harmony; to make good). She hopes to work toward a better future through a career in action-oriented research and community service.

Melia’s ancestral roots reach to the village of Asan, Guam and to Nha Trang, Vietnam. She was born in San Diego, California, but was raised in the Inland Empire. She received a B.A. in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley. While an undergraduate student, Melia started her Oceanic community work in the Bay Area within the Asian Pacific American Student Development Center as a Programming Intern and then as a Political Education APASD Community Engagement Chair for UC Berkeley’s Pacific Islander Initiative. She then served as a Copilot for two cohorts of the Pacific Islander Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Institute as an alumni of the institute herself.

Coming from a long line of artists, Melia has been an artist her whole life. Her art practice has been developed alongside the understanding that our CHamoru ancestors were artists. As an At-Large Board Director, Melia is excited to share her knowledge with and pour her love into the CHamoru community. She envisions a world characterized by the collective liberation of all oppressed individuals, starting with uplifting and celebrating the CHamoru culture she was born of.

Jorge J. Borja Cruz is a licensed attorney in California specializing in tax law. He is Chamoru, born and raised in Guam, and moved to the Bay Area after college. His desire to pay it forward and support others from the Mariana Islands led him to Inafamaolek.us. Through the organization, he hopes to be a helping hand to the community and help share and celebrate Chamoru culture through various events and activities.

Alfred Peredo Flores (familian Kulo' from Yo'ña, familian Kabesa from To'to, and familian Kim from Seoul, South Korea) is an associate professor of Asian American Studies at Harvey Mudd College. His research focuses on diaspora, labor, indigeneity, migration, militarism, oral history, and settler colonialism in California, Micronesia, and greater Oceania. Professor Flores’ book, Tip of the Spear: Land, Labor, and US Settler Militarism in Guåhan, 1944-1962 (Cornell University Press, 2023) received honorable mention from the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association for the Best First Book Award and honorable mention from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association for best adult non-fiction. His previous work has appeared in Amerasia Journal, American Quarterly, Critical Ethnic Studies Journal, Okinawan Journal of Island Studies, and Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History.

I would like to thank Inafamaolek.us for giving me the opportunity to serve as a Board Member. Being Samoan, I didn’t know much about the Chamoru culture, but now, I have an understanding and an appreciation of what is important: family, repect, and social reciprocity.

I do believe that all can live with inafa’maolek in this world and my hope for Inafamaolek.us is to continue the good work of healing through the arts with Outdoor Hiking, Language Arts, and Guiya Earth.


Meri was born in Riverside, California and was raised in the Bay Area. She currently resides in San Leandro. Her mother is Ba Maurie Tauoa Tolai. She was born in Papua New Guinea. Meri’s mother is Samoan and is from the Village of Vaitogi in American Samoa. Her father is Motu Ve’ave’a. He was born in the village of Leone in American Samoa.

Meri attended Serramonte High School in Daly City and graduated in 1978. She attended the College of San Mateo from 1979 to 1980. Meri excelled in Basketball in High School and Community College. In high school, she was voted the team's Most Valuable Player for all four years she played. In 1979, she was voted the Golden Gate Conference League Most Valuable Player and earned Team MVP in San Mateo. Meri attended Brigham Young University in Hawaii from 1980 to 1982 and studied Social Welfare. Meri came back home, enrolled in San Francisco State University and graduated with a BA in Sociology.

Meri began her Law Enforcement career in 1982. She worked at San Bruno Police Department as a Community Service Officer. She was then recruited and hired by the San Francisco Police Department (163rd Class) in 1986. Meri was one of the first Samoan Females to be hired by SFPD. In 1989, she transferred to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. Meri spent 23 years in Law Enforcement and retired in 2010.

Meri has participated in the Police Olympics and the Police and Fire Games in California, Arizona and Nevada. She played on Softball and Basketball Teams. Meri holds the 2000 Bench Press Record (Masters/ Female) in California.

Meri has worked as a Project Coordinator for a Pacific Islander youth program (Pacific Islander Voices Outreach Transformation) in San Mateo County. She also worked as a Community Outreach Worker and Case Manager for Essence of MANA, Parent Project, a program of Asian American Recovery Services, and HealthRight 360. Meri is board member on the San Leandro Chief Advisory Board.

Glenn Castro is the youngest child of 5, born to Rita and Jesus Castro in Daly City. He currently resides in Fremont with his wife, whom he describes as his rock. He has two adult daughters and 9 grandchildren. He is an avid musician, playing in local bands throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a bassist and drummer. He is skillful in home and auto repair as well as dog training. One of Glenn's passions is teaching music, karate, meditation, sports, and life skills to youth. For over 20 years, Glenn has maintained tremendous rapport with the school community at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy and brings his good way of building relationships to community work with Inafamaolek.us.