by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Cenzon Tapped as Legal Counsel

Calvo impressed by her commitment to the underserved

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 13, 2011

Long-time attorney Maria Teresa B. Cenzon will be the Governor's Legal Counsel. She starts her new job on October 24, 2011.

Attorney Cenzon is the Judiciary of Guam's Director of Policy Planning and Community Relations. She held that position since April 2010 after spending 13 years in private practice.

"It was important for me to choose an experienced attorney for legal counsel who has compassion for people and who sees justice through the eyes of the underserved," Governor Eddie Baza Calvo said.

In addition to being involved in the daily operations of the administrative arm of the judicial branch, Attorney Cenzon has spent her public service at the Judiciary facilitating educational and outreach programs promoting access to justice for all. She was instrumental in advocating for sufficient funding from the Guam Legislature to address the needs of the most vulnerable members of the community who seek the help of the courts of Guam: including children, the mentally incapacitated, and persons in need of services.

She also is the President of the Guam Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to qualified people.

"The work we do at the Governor's Office one way or another touches every facet of life on this island," Governor Calvo said. "I need a chief legal adviser who will see the needs of children, the impoverished and the underserved as I do; that is, paramount in everything we do."

"I am excited for the opportunity to help make a difference in the community as a member of the administration," Attorney Cenzon said. "I appreciate the efforts of Governor Calvo and Lt. Governor Tenorio to make a significant impact on the lives of the underserved and I share in their passion for reaching those who might otherwise go unnoticed. Since I was a young girl, I have always felt compassion for and a strong drive to protect those who were unable to protect themselves and to live the kind of life in which I could make a difference. I understand that as the Governor's Legal Counsel I am primarily responsible for helping to shape the legal policy of the executive branch, but that responsibility does not exist in a vacuum, and must consider the effect on the community that such policy will have. I'm so grateful that the Governor has selected me to advise him in this manner."

The Governor's new Legal Counsel is licensed to practice in the local and federal courts of Guam. She is a graduate of the Academy of Our Lady of Guam. She received her bachelor of arts degree in Writing Intensive English from Marquette University, where she served as secretary and then president of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society. Afterward, she obtained her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she was Cases Editor for the Loyola Consumer Law Reporter.

Attorney Cenzon is actively involved in the professional community as well, as the Secretary of the Guam Bar Association and a former member of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, where she helped organize community events. These included several fundraising 5k events for both the Guam Bar Association and the Armed Forces Committee of the Chamber.

Attorney Cenzon is the daughter of Edward and Amparo (Nita) Cenzon, who taught her the importance of service before self, giving back to her island home, and treating others with respect. She is the proud mother of Amalia and Ricardo.