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Lou Leon Guerrero for governor
The Honorable Lourdes “Lou” Aflague Leon Guerrero is the ninth Governor of Guam. She is the first female governor of the territory and is a registered nurse, a businesswoman, a policymaker, a mother, and a grandmother.
Since taking office in January 2019, she’s nearly eliminated GovGuam’s deficit from $83 million to $1.5 million. Additionally, she increased the minimum wage, legalized cannabis, ended two federal receiverships, and paid millions in war reparations owed to Guam’s WWII survivors with adjudicated claims.
While managing two public health emergencies, including a dengue outbreak in 2019 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she championed health care initiatives, including establishing the island’s first-ever paramedic program and increasing nurse salaries. She is currently on a mission to rebuild Guam’s only decades-old public hospital.
A graduate of the Academy of Our Lady of Guam (AOLG), Governor Leon Guerrero embarked on a career in nursing, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University and later a Masters of Public Health from UCLA. She has worked as a state nurse in hospitals in both California and Guam. Governor Leon Guerrero also has held several management positions in health care at both the Guam Memorial Hospital and FHP Inc. and served on the GMHA Board of Trustees. To this day, Governor Leon Guerrero continues to be passionate about health care and has maintained her licensure as a registered nurse.
In 1994, the people of Guam elected Governor Leon Guerrero to the rest of five terms in the Guam Legislature. As a Senator, Governor Leon Guerrero served as Majority Leader and Chair of the Committee on Rules and the Committee on Health. Among her achievements are laws creating the Healthy Futures Fund and banning smoking in restaurants and bars.
In 2005, with the passing of her brother Tony, Governor Leon Guerrero assumed the helm at the Bank of Guam as its new CEO and President. Under her leadership, the Bank of Guam doubled its assets to become a $2 billion enterprise.
Governor Leon Guerrero has also served on the boards of many civic organizations. She is a founding member, past board member, and past President of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Her many awards and honors include Guam Business Magazine’s 2010 Executive of the Year, SBA – Women in Business Champion, AOLG Hall of Fame, and American Nurses Association Excellence in Nursing award.
Governor Leon Guerrero is one of three children born to the late Jesus S. Leon Guerrero and Eugenia A. Leon Guerrero. She is married to Attorney Jeff Cook, and they have two children and eight grandchildren.
Elected the 9th Governor of Guam in 2018. She is the first Pacific Islander woman to serve as a state or territorial governor in the U.S.
Early Years: Born in Guam in 1950.
Education: Attended Academy of Our Lady of Guam High School and moved to California to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing at California State University, Los Angeles and her master’s degree in public health at UCLA.
Career: Leon Guerrero was elected the 9th Governor of Guam in 2018. She is the first Pacific Islander woman to serve as a state or territorial governor in the U.S. Prior to that, the nurse and Guam Senator most recently served as the Chairwoman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Bank of Guam and BankGuam Holding Company.