Our Executive Director
Claudia Kaercher
Founder & Executive Director
Claudia deLeon Guerrero Fajardo Kaercher is of Chamorro-Filipino descent from the Mariana Archipelago in Micronesia, a region in the Western Pacific. Claudia and her family lived on several islands in the region of Micronesia and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Tumon, Guam.
As an Arizona resident for over 40 years, Claudia has been an active and positive contributor to her Pacific Islander community. In 2012, Claudia founded Island Liaison (which became a nonprofit organization as of 2014) in Arizona which serves as a resource for providing awareness of available health and educational agencies, and other government services locally to Pacific Islanders.
Claudia is well recognized for her work in fostering better understanding of Pacific Islanders and have received several awards, including most recently from Triad West "2020 Positively Powerful Woman Award", Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce ”2020 Person of the Year”, ASU "2015 Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion" award, and Arizona Aloha Festival’s “2011 Kokua" award, naming a few.
Island Liaison Board Members
JakinDee Perez Kosaka
Board Chair
JakinDee Perez Kosaka is a Chamorrita, born on Guam and raised in the states and Germany, as the daughter of an Army veteran. She and her family has lived in Arizona since 2006. JakinDee serves as a Workforce Development Instructor for the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, where she helps people improve their education, find employment, and prepare for advancement in their careers.
JakinDee spent over five years as an employment coach specializing in helping people with criminal backgrounds re-enter the workforce. She is a lifelong learner who enjoys sharing resources with others. When she isn’t working, she enjoys volunteering, mentoring and sharing scouting outdoor adventures with her family.
Joni Pourchot
Board Treasurer
Joni Pourchot is the owner of Pourchot Accounting, LLC, which provides accounting services for non-profits and other small business in the greater Phoenix area and consults on non-profit governance. She has 20-plus years of non-profit accounting experience, including budgeting, audit preparation, business connections, and department supervision. Joni holds an MBA with accounting emphasis from the Keller School of Management of DeVry University and a bacherlor's degree in microbiology from Arizona State University. Joni also pursued a year of advanced study at Moody Bible Institute.
Miriam Aneo
Board Member
Miriam Aneo is from the Marshall Islands. Her parents are the late Dr. Enta Peter (dentist) and Jeita Peter, RN, whose impact on the medical community was significant during and after World War II.
Miriam was inspired by her parents' field of work and decided to pursue a career that would help her community. In 1994, while working for Mercy Healthcare, Miriam was transferred to Honolulu, Hawai’i, where she was the Patient Referral Coordinator, assisting patients (under the Section 177 Health Care Program) from four of the atolls that were affected by radiation as a result of nuclear testing conducted by the U.S. Miriam went on to work at Queens Medical Center as a translator for Marshallese residents who lacked necessary proficiency in the English language.
Later, Miriam worked for more than three years for Swissport International Ltd. at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
In 2015, Miriam moved her family to Phoenix, Arizona, after her eldest daughter graduated from high school in Honolulu. Since then, Miriam has continued to work with the Marshallese community living in Arizona. In 2020, Miriam became a part of the Arizona-based nonprofit organization Island Liaison as a member of the Board of Directors, focusing on Community Outreach and Marshallese Interpreter.
Merci J. Hernandez
Board Member
Born on Guam, Merci J. Hernandez has made Arizona her home for the past 20 years. An employee of the Judiciary, she serves as a Departmental Liaison with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and works closely with the Victim Advocacy Office. As a former member of the Maricopa County Diversity Council, Merci’s role with Island Liaison unknowingly began almost 15 years ago after a colleague requested a presentation featuring Guam and Micronesia for the City of Phoenix Diversity Program.
Xena Baza
Board Secretary
Xena Baza currently serves and Island Liaison's Board Secretary and Scholarship Committee Chair. She was born to a Chamorro father and Mexican mother whom were both in the U.S. Army. She grew up in Japan for 12 years, mostly in Okinawa. A proud Sun Devil, she graduated from ASU with a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Pacific American Studies and Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. After arriving to Arizona in 2014, she now considers herself a Phoenician. She is employed at the ASU College of Health Solutions, Xena oversees academic contracts and health compliance as the Coordinator Sr. of Community Placements and sits on its Council for Inclusive Exellence.
Island Liaison Interns
Ungildil True Kyota
Board Intern
Ungildil True Bells Cariño Kyota, known as Nini, is a dual citizen of the United States and Palau who grew up in Guam with a uniquely multicultural perspective, shaped by her Filipino-Palauan heritage and an upbringing filled with CHamoru culture. Passionate about advocacy and justice, Nini is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Justice Studies at Arizona State University with her sights set on law school, aiming to merge her love for international and environmental law. Inspired by her Pacific Islander roots and Palau’s global leadership in sustainability, she is committed to protecting communities and the planet while amplifying voices often overlooked in global conversations. Curious, driven, and endlessly fascinated by the intersection of culture, policy, and law, Nini is ready to turn her diverse experiences into meaningful action on a local and international scale.
Eroleen Warren Weital
Board Intern
Eroleen Warren Weital born and raised in Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in Pohnpei. Arizona is her second home as she's been living there since 2008. She is one of the people that came out here in the U.S and looking for a great opportunity. She graduated from PICS High School, Pohnpei in 2005. Eroleen is continuing her education to become a teacher in Arizona. She’s an active Island Liaison intern.
Eroleen has experience working in Pohnpei Court as an assistant. She has experience working as a Paraprofessional, and a substitute-teacher from K-8 through High School. She’s been working in the school system for over eight years since 2018. She loves spending time with families and friends. Her faith led her to strength when she decided to go beyond or to aim more.