Dr. Kenneth Gofigan Kuper, Associate Professor of Political Science, CHamoru Studies, and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam, has been selected for the 2025–2026 Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leaders program. 

He is one of only 35 individuals across the region chosen for the competitive leadership development initiative.

The six-month hybrid program brings together emerging leaders from across the Asia-Pacific to explore values-based leadership, build relationships across borders, and develop solutions to community challenges.

“This program connects me with changemakers from across the Asia-Pacific who are tackling challenges in creative ways and making lasting change in their communities,” said Kuper. “By learning from my cohort and the program instructors, I aim to sharpen my regional fluency to better understand how Guam can get more involved in the region.”

Kuper researches and teaches geopolitics, security, and international relations, focusing particularly on Guam and Micronesia. He also serves as Director of the Pacific Center for Island Security, a local think tank offering independent foreign policy analysis for the Asia-Pacific.

His academic journey began as a UOG undergraduate majoring in biology, until one course reshaped his future.

“I took a course on the History of Guam with Dr. Anne Hattori, and my life was changed,” he said. “None of this would have been possible without the University of Guam.”

Now, as a full-time faculty member at UOG’s Micronesian Area Research Center, he plans to use his experience in the Obama Foundation program to strengthen leadership and governance capacity in Guam and the wider Micronesian region.

“Dr. Kuper’s selection reflects the caliber of leadership and scholarship growing right here at the University of Guam,” said Dr. Sharleen Santos-Bamba, UOG Senior Vice President and Provost. “His work amplifies island perspectives in global conversations and supports our mission to transform lives and advance communities across Micronesia and the Pacific.”

Kuper earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UOG and a Master of Arts in Pacific Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Launched in 2019, the Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leaders program is grounded in President Obama’s commitment to cultivating a new generation of leaders from a region closely tied to his own heritage. 

The program features weekly workshops, peer collaboration, and engagement with notable regional figures.