Frankie Eliptico elected first WICHE chair from Pacific territories and Freely Associated States

Frankie Eliptico, senior vice president of Northern Marianas College, has been elected 2027 chair of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The appointment marks the first time a commissioner from the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States will lead the regional higher-ed body.

Why it matters: - Frankie Eliptico’s election gives the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States a first-time voice at the top of WICHE’s leadership. - The move underscores WICHE’s effort to include Pacific jurisdictions in regional work on higher education access and workforce development. - The Pacific islands face many of the same barriers as rural Western communities, including isolation, higher costs and fewer nearby higher-education options.

What happened: - WICHE elected Eliptico as its 2027 chair. - Utah Sen. F. Ann Millner will serve as immediate past chair after leading the commission in 2026. - Nevada Truckee Meadows Community College Professor Fred Lokken will serve as vice chair. - Eliptico is the first WICHE officer elected from the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. - WICHE’s shared Pacific membership includes American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau. - Eliptico was appointed to the WICHE Commission in 2019.

The details: - As chair, Eliptico will lead a 48-member commission appointed by governors from 15 Western states plus the Pacific territories and freely associated states. - Eliptico is senior vice president of Northern Marianas College in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. - Eliptico said he is “humbled and honored” to serve and wants to bring Pacific perspectives to WICHE’s work on postsecondary education and workforce development. - Eliptico said he wants to expand educational opportunities, strengthen collaboration and support students and institutions across the region. - Eliptico previously served as Northern Marianas College’s interim president for three years. - During that period, he led recovery efforts after Super Typhoon Yutu and the COVID-19 pandemic. - Eliptico helped secure more than $100 million for rebuilding the Northern Marianas College campus. - The rebuilding effort is funding state-of-the-art buildings. - Eliptico’s marketing and branding work at the college has been recognized nationally. - The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations named him Communicator of the Year in District VI, which covers the Western U.S. - Eliptico has held leadership roles in multiple nonprofit organizations. - He serves on the board of governors for the Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies. - He has served as education policy advisor to the CNMI governor. - He has chaired the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance and the Northern Mariana Islands Humanities Council. - The Marianas Press named Eliptico its inaugural 2025 Person of the Year. - That recognition cited his role in the college’s transformation and its contribution to education and economic renewal in the CNMI.

Between the lines: - WICHE President Demarée Michelau called Eliptico’s election a historic milestone. - Michelau said the appointment recognizes the Pacific Islands’ long contribution to higher education work in the West. - The election also suggests WICHE is broadening its leadership to better reflect the region’s geographic and educational realities. - Eliptico’s background in campus recovery, fundraising and regional advocacy aligns with WICHE’s focus on access, collaboration and public policy.

What's next: - Eliptico will take on the chair role for WICHE in 2027. - The commission will continue its regional work on expanding educational access, sharing resources and supporting higher education across the West. - WICHE said it will keep addressing shared challenges that affect students and institutions in remote and isolated communities.

The bottom line: - Eliptico’s election marks a leadership first for Pacific jurisdictions and signals a broader regional view of higher education in the West.

More information: WICHE