The Honorable Yosiwo Palikkun George is the 8th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

George was born in Kosrae on July 24th, 1941. His rich and varied public and political life started during the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) and has continued through today. His public service experiences began as an Engineer Trainee at the Pohnpei Transportation Authority, later as a classroom teacher in Kolonia Elementary School, and then as the TTPI Social Security manager in Saipan.

George later served as Kosrae's Lieutenant Governor for a partial term, when he was appointed by the 1st President of the FSM, Tosiwo Nakayama, as the Director of Department of Social Services with foci on health, education, and community services.

After many accomplishments in the Department of Social Services, George was reminded again of his home in Kosrae, and ran for Governor of Kosrae State, where he served two full and consecutive terms. George was then appointed by President Bailey Olter to serve as the Ambassador of the FSM to the United Nations, where he served with distinction for three years.

International service on behalf of the FSM inspired George to run for a seat in the Congress of the FSM, and in the 10th Congress he began his service as a Senator for four years. George was later appointed by Governor Rensley Sigrah to serve as the Chief Justice for Kosrae State Court, where he served until 2006 when he was then called upon by President Manny Mori to serve as the Administrator for MiCare. After several years of dedicated service, President Mori appointed George to be the Ambassador of the FSM to the United States, which additional accreditation to the State of Israel.

George ran for the State of Kosrae's At-Large seat in the Congress of the FSM for its 19th Congress, where he was elected as the 8th Vice President of the FSM, sworn into office on May 11th, 2015. Upon completion of his first term as Vice President of the FSM, George successfully ran for Kosrae's At-Large seat again in 2019, where the 21st Congress of the FSM elected him to the Vice Presidency again on May 11th, 2019.

George's education began at Malem Elementary School, and in 1957 he moved to Pohnpei to attend Pohnpei Intermediate School and then on to Pacific Island Central School (PICS), where he graduated in 1963. George then attended the College of Guam (now the University of Guam) under the Trust Territory Scholarship, and transferred to the University of Hawaii under the East-West Center Scholarship. While at the East-West Center, George participated in a student-exchange program at the University of Mexico. George graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1969, and spent one year of graduate school at Ball State University in Indiana whilst working for the TTPI's Social Security Program.

Yosiwo Palikkun George is married to Antilise W. Mackwelung George, and they are blessed with seven children and more than ten grandchildren

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Ninth President of the Federated states of Micronesia

His Excellency David W. Panuelo is the Ninth President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). 

Born April 13, 1964, Panuelo completed his early education on his home island of Pohnpei, and continued his education in the United States of America where he received his Bachelor’s in Political Science from Eastern Oregon University in 1987.  Panuelo returned to his beloved home and, aspiring to serve the Nation and its citizens, started his career with the FSM National Government in the Department of Foreign Affairs as a Foreign Service Officer. A year later, he was confirmed as the Deputy Ambassador for the FSM Embassy to Fiji where he served until 1993 where, upon his return to Palikir, he was re-appointed to serve his Nation in the same role at the FSM Mission to the United Nations from 1993 through 1996.

After nearly a decade serving the FSM abroad, Panuelo returned home and, having been recognized as deep, strategic, and passionate thinker, was immediately offered a Cabinet position in the Pohnpei State Government, which he accepted so as to address more focused and pragmatic issues at the state level. In 1997, Panuelo was named the Director of the Department of Resource Management and Development for the State of Pohnpei and, for the next four years, devoted his energy and cross-cultural experiences to enhance the development of resources in Pohnpei, correlating with Pohnpei’s increased GDP per capita. At the end of the Administration in 2000/2001, he returned to the FSM Department of Foreign Affairs and served as the Assistant Secretary for the Division of American and European Affairs.

In 2003, Panuelo—recalling the Government’s desire to grow the private sector and create jobs for the citizens of the Nation—resigned from government work to re-direct his energy and efforts to the development of the private sector. For the next seven years, Panuelo established various businesses ranging from construction to human services, including the non-profit Care Micronesia Foundation.

Having demonstrated to himself that the FSM is capable of sustaining a healthy private sector, Panuelo entered his name in the national elections of 2011 with the goal of developing the Nation’s economy and human capacity.

On May 11^th, 2011, Panuelo was seated as Pohnpei State’s two-year Senator from Congressional District Three to the 17^th Congress, and was re-elected unopposed in 2013 and 2015. During the special election of 2015, Panuelo entered the race for, and was seated, as the State of Pohnpei’s four-year at-large representative to the 19^th Congress, which he maintained into the 20^th Congress.

Panuelo campaigned for the March 5^th, 2019 election for the State of Pohnpei’s at-large seat for the 21^st Congress, highlighting his various service-centered and people-centered accomplishments—including growing the FSM Trust Fund from $11,000,000 to more than $250,000,000—and on May 11^th, 2019, Panuelo was elected by the 21^st Congress of the FSM to serve as the Nation’s ninth President.

Panuelo is the loving father of five beautiful children and seven equally beautiful grandchildren.