Bernadine Tuisavalalo Tavita is the youngest of six children born to parents from the villages of

Toamua and Vaiala in Upolu, Samoa. Although born in American Samoa and raised in the Bay

Area, CA - she is a proud resident of Fresno, CA on Yokuts land at the heart of the Central Valley.

Her love of public service grew from volunteering with various nonprofit organizations and was furthered during her time as a Senior Legal Assistant at Pasifika Immigration Law Firm. During the day-to-day, she saw firsthand manifestations of the ways policies and systems directly impact vulnerable communities, especially communities of color.  As one of the co-founders of the Central Valley Pacific Islander Alliance, she’s grateful for the leadership role CVPIA has trusted her with and even more grateful to witness the collective work it executes to elevate NHPI voices in the Central Valley. She is a proud wife and dog mom to Storm and Appa.

Vio Stanley is a first generation Samoan American. Since graduating with her B.A. in Poli Sci, Vio has dedicated close to ten years working in the nonprofit and education sector. Her passion lies in workforce development and supporting individuals connect their skills to roles that align with their passions. She is proud of her Samoan heritage and loves spending time with her family and friends outside of work.

Joshua Ray Tavita is a proud first generation-American Samoan born in Castro Valley, California. He completed some college at Sacramento State and coached football for seven years. He was a blue collar employee for eight years and has now been involved with community work for four years.  His passion has always been to support and uplift others to be successful.  Josh is very proud of his Samoan heritage and honored to serve the NHPI community through the CVPIA family.

Tia Aga Tevaseu was born and raised in American Samoa, and called Lemoore on Tachi Yokut land home for nearly six years. Tia earned an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Services from University of Southern California and a B.A. from Columbia University. She has more than 10 years of experience serving Pacific Islander communities in California, American Samoa, Washington, and New York through capacity building programs, health literacy research and education, and policy research. She is passionate about helping people "learn how to fish" so that they have the options and opportunities to make the healthiest decisions for them and their families. Tia enjoys outdoors adventures with her husband and their two sons. 

Uriah Kishon Ikaika Napaepae Blackwell is the Advocacy Coordinator for CVPIA. He identifies as Kanaka Maoli and Black. As the oldest of nine siblings, the importance of being service-oriented has long been clear to him. He began his organizing journey while attending UCLA from 2016 - 2020 with UCLA’s Pacific Islands’ Student Association (PISA). The organization rallied for issues such as low Pacific Islander college retention rates on and off campus as well as the movement to protect the sacred Mauna Kea volcano in Hawai’i and much more. His work with UCLA led to more opportunities with other nonprofits such as EPIC, AIFM and SoCal PICRT just to name a few. He envisions a future in which the NHPI community can succeed in the mainland states, while remaining connected to roots back home on our islands. He feels he is able to help create that reality daily.

Kolei Tevita ‘Etoni Kumā, passionate about community work for many years. His journey started with his family’s Polynesian dance studio here in Fresno, CA. It has been 52 years since the group’s inception. He's grown to learn many things about community and culture through the group, and it has encouraged his to service to his community through CVPIA.

Born in American Samoa and raised in the Bay Area, Luti Lago’o has always been surrounded by a community of Pacific Islanders. He grew up in community through family, church, school, and Pasifika community organizations. Growing up in community fuels his passion to serve by following CVPIA’s mission to help create a network of NHPI organizations and community members across the Central Valley. He currently serves as the Administrative Assistant for CVPIA and supports the team through a variety of projects and activities.

​Simoe Aiga Pepe Lualemaga was born in Apia, Western Samoa, to Fatiatami Aiga and Saiaiga Pepe. She hails from the village of Toamua, with roots extending to Taputimu, American Samoa. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Hawaii and California State University, Fresno. With a career spanning 24 years in education, Simoe taught math for 14 years in Upolu and 10 years in American Samoa. In her free time, she enjoys writing, meeting with friends, and gardening. She is a proud mother of six children and grandmother to seventeen grandchildren. She credits her parents for instilling in her a deep love of service, dedication, and strong values centered on God and family. Simoe also appreciates the friendships she gained through the LDS church and is deeply grateful for the loving people who supported her and her family throughout her years of service.

Sarah McNally identifies as  mixed-race Tongan, Rotuman, and White. With roots in Te’ekiu and Kolomotu’a, Tonga and Noatau, Rotuma, Sarah was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Following the completion of a dual Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Public Health from Wayne State University, and a Masters of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan, she has worked in academic research for over six years. She hopes to contribute her experience and skillset to address systemic issues in Pacific Islander data collection and reporting in a culturally-competent way informed by the needs vocalized by our community.