Commissioner Faitalia is a first generation Samoan and Tongan American, she has sixteen years of community service and advocacy experience. Prior to her current work with the Washington Commission on Asian and Pacific American Affairs, she worked in California on connecting pipelines from community colleges to universities, particularly within Native communities. She is the owner of Modern Blueprint Construction LLC and works for United Indians of All Tribes Foundation as the Ina Maka On Track Program Manager. Her strong advocacy for native rights, immigrant rights, and educational equity shines through in all she does.

Alice has proudly served on the CIBA Board of Directors for two terms. She is a member of the Karuk Tribe and worked over 20 years as an independent artist, making traditional jewelry and weaving Karuk style baskets. She teaches basketweaving to local tribal members at her store, the Klamath Book Nook in the town of Klamath, California. In addition, she works with local schools and other institutions and at events throughout the Pacific Northwest region. Alice was instrumental in reviving CIBA’s Following the Smoke program, building valuable partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies.

The 8th of 9 children born to parents from the US (colonial) Territory of American Samoa, Sefa was a first-generation low-income college student raised in Southeast San Diego. Upon graduating from Sweetwater High School, Sefa attended the US Naval Academy on a football scholarship, but ultimately finished college at UCLA. Once at UCLA, Sefa became actively engaged in the struggle to create access to education opportunities for Pacific Islander youth in Inglewood, Carson, Compton and Long Beach. This program today, PIER (Pacific Island Education and Retention), has institutional support from UCLA and has been a constant in the struggle to educate overlooked and underserved Pacific Islander youth for nearly two decades.

Sefa is currently the Associate Dean and Director of the Draper Center for Community Partnerships at Pomona College. Professionally, he has served as an academic and student-organizational advisor, as well as an instructor for Asian American Studies programs at UCLA and California State University, Fullerton. Sefa has taught courses in contemporary Pacific Islander issues, community engagement, and has done countless workshops and talks at colleges and universities throughout the country.

In the community, Sefa is a founding member and current Board Chair of EPIC (Empowering Pacific Islander Communities) and has been active on the advisory boards of the PIHCP (Pacific Islander Health Careers PIPELINE) Project, NHPI (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) Alliance for Health, Pacific Islander Cancer Control Network (PICCN) Samoan Community Advisory Board, and The AIGA (All Islands Getting Along) Foundation. Sefa is also a founding member of NPIEN (National Pacific Islander Educators Network) and the UCLA PIER Project.

In September of 2010, Sefa was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Sefa served as the Vice-Chair of the Commission from 2010 - 2014. He has also been a Reader for the APIASF (Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund), and AIGCS (American Indian Graduate Center Scholars) Gates Millennium Scholarship. Through his work on college campuses and in the larger community, Sefa has demonstrated his commitment to increasing the support and opportunities for non-traditional, marginalized, first generation students.

Sefa married his high school sweetheart, Belinda Aina; and together they have 3-children, Marina, Marcus and Malie.