Jale Samuwai

Manager, Global South CFAN Program, RMI

Jale is a manager on the CFAN (Climate Finance Access Network) Program. He serves as the project leader responsible for the coordination of CFAN’s portfolio of Pacific countries and partners. Prior to joining RMI, Jale was a climate change advisor for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries, a regional organization based in the Solomon Islands. He was also a resilience finance analyst for the World Bank Pacific Resilience Project based at Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. Jale also served as the climate change advisor for Oxfam in the Pacific. He holds a PhD in Climate Change from The University of the South Pacific.

Paula Schaafhausen

Artist

Paula Schaafhausen is a contemporary Samoan artist known for installations and sculptures that explore climate change and Pacific cultural heritage. Her work notably incorporates traditional Samoan materials like coconut oil and sega (body oil) to create ephemeral pieces that address environmental concerns affecting Pacific islands. Her melting sculptures serve as powerful metaphors for rising temperatures and their impact on island nations. Schaafhausen's practice bridges traditional Pacific cultural elements with modern environmental challenges, creating work that speaks to both preservation and loss.

Dr. Ramendra Prasad

Senior Lecturer, Department of Science,
The University of Fiji

Dr Prasad received a PhD in Modeling and Simulations from University of Southern Queensland, Australia, MSc (Physics) and BSc from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Science Department with The University of Fiji. He has authored/co-authored a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals and reputed conferences. His research interests include modeling and simulations, advanced machine learning approaches, advanced data analytics, energy modeling, energy management, and environmental and atmospheric modeling. He is included in Stanford University’s list of top 2% scientists in the world.

Elena van Hove

Director of Global Energy Access,
Laboratory for Energy and Power Solutions,
Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University

Elena van Hove is the Director of Global Energy Access at the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions (LEAPS) within Arizona State University where she manages a number of diverse energy access and electrification projects. LEAPS is a unique academic group that focuses on technical assistance and scaling of impact projects — developing appropriate solutions that directly benefit communities.

Elena has had a variety of experiences working on energy projects around the globe, including in Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. She received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Sustainability from ASU. Both degrees focused on power and energy.

Fenton Lutunatabua

Storyteller and Climate Change Activist

A visionary leader and advocate for climate justice, Fenton Lutunatabua, haling from the FIji Islands, is a multifaceted climate organizer whose work transcends boundaries encompassing photography, literary media, and film. As a facilitator and trainer, he empowers others to become agents of change in their communities. Lutunatabua, is a renowned climate activist leading by example as a founder of the Pacific Climate Warriors, a movement that has sparked a wave of environmental consciousness across the Pacific and beyond. In addition to his remarkable activism, Lutunatabua is a trailblazer in the realm of podcasting in the Pacific, using this medium to amplify Pacific voices in the fight against climate change. Lutunatabua is currently working with 350.org as the Head of Asia and Pacific. He is also the Founder of Beyond the Narrative, a creative agency in Fiji, that is dedicated to unlocking the radical imagination of Pacific communities empowering them to shape their own futures.

Oliver Broughton

Energy Portfolio Management, Renewables and Efficiency, Elemental Group

Oliver, based in New Zealand has 12 years of experience designing and implementing renewable energy and efficiency projects in island nations. Presently, Oliver oversees a 13-project portfolio of ~1MWp solar-PV and >6MWh battery projects in the Caribbean for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). In the Pacific, Oliver has led research and programme development in electric vehicle infrastructure and community-scale offgrid electrification in Fiji and Vanuatu. Oliver most recently led an energy efficiency audit and solar feasibility study for a Coconut Oil factory in rural Papua New Guinea.

Ilisari Naqau Nasau

Sau Turaga (Chief Maker) of the Village of Marou, of the Mataqali Koro (Koro Clan), Representing Marou Village

The Acting Chief (Sau Turaga) of Marou Village, Ilisari Naqau Nasau is a compassionate and effective leader. His knowledge, experience, and positive perspective helps to sustain a community whose influence extends throughout Naviti Island, Fiji, and the world. Ilisari Naqau was one of the earliest champions of the project, inviting LAGI on behalf of Marou Village in June of 2024 and offering to be the host and site partner of LAGI 2025 Fiji. He has been, and will continue to be, instrumental in the development of LAGI 2025 Fiji.

Residents of Marou

Local Community

From the very beginning, LAGI 2025 Fiji has been a collaboration with the residents of Marou Village, who have generously shared their time to co-create the design brief with us — walking the land together, pointing out the natural and built-up features in the landscape, and conveying the conditions of daily life on Naviti Island and the aspirations of future generations. The entire village will review the anonymous design proposals, present their comments and preferences, and participate in the final jury process.

Setoki Tuiteci

Architect, Ethos Edge Design Studio, Fiji

Setoki Tuiteci is the Director at Ethos Edge Design Studio and General Secretary of the Fiji Association of Architects. He has decades of experience working as an architect and planner with a focus on sustainable architectural design, traditional Fijian design concepts, and heritage conservation. He has worked on projects across a range of typologies, from residential and commercial to public spaces and master plans, and has facilitated developments from early concept stage through construction administration. One of Mr. Tuiteci's recent and highly acclaimed projects is the Ratu Sukuna Park redevelopment in downtown Suva, where he contributed the masterplan and the project management for the construction and completion of the park.

Deb Guenther

Landscape Architect and Partner at Mithun, FASLA, LEED AP, SITES AP

As a partner and landscape architect at Mithun, Deb has built a team that brings exceptional quality, critical thinking and award-winning design to projects. Deb is committed to connecting people with their surroundings and each other. She works on diverse projects — delivering conceptual design ideas firm-wide. Clients benefit from her ability to bring together emerging ideas in policy, practice and design.

Deb is a regular contributor to conversations on equity, resilience and climate change at venues such as Greenbuild, Living Futures, and the Urban Land Institute. Nationally recognized for her leadership on green infrastructure and ecosystem service issues, she was awarded the American Society of Landscape Architect’s Presidents Medal in 2010.