Islands Society

Last updated
Islands Society
Formation2015 (Merger)
FounderMichael Edward WalshEddie Walsh (journalist)
Type Charity; Think tank
Legal status 501(c)(3) charitable organization
Focus Education; Insular Affairs; Foreign Policy
Headquarters Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Location
OriginsEmerging Science and Technology Policy Centre
Area served
Global
President
 Michael Edward Walsh
Website www.islandssociety.org

The Islands Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization whose vision is to be the premier global organization for mobilizing individuals and organizations in island communities to participate in foreign affairs and overseas engagements. [1] Its policy research centers conduct policy studies and strategic analyses of political, economic, security, environmental, and social issues throughout the world, with a specific focus on insular affairs. Separately, its regional societies develop and implement education and leadership programs that are designed to bring about positive changes in local island communities.

Contents

Mission

According to the organization's website:

The mission of the Islands Society is to inspire and empower islanders to participate in foreign affairs and overseas engagements in order to bring about positive changes in their local communities.

Leadership

The Islands Society is led by its founder and president, Michael Edward Walsh, who is better known by his pen name, Eddie Walsh. [2] Since its founding, the organization has developed strong ties with embassies, think tanks, and universities around the world. This is reflected in the composition of the board of advisors, which includes Ralph Cossa, the president of Pacific Forum CSIS. [3] Other current advisors include the ambassadors, high commissioners, and honorary consuls from Austria, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. [4] Former advisors include Abe Denmark. [5]

Organizational structure

The Islands Society is composed of a number of subsidiary policy research centers and regional societies. [6] The policy research centers are autonomous think tanks whose mission is to develop innovative policies that bridge the divide between theory and practice in insular affairs. And, the regional societies are autonomous research institutes whose mission is to develop and implement programs that inspire and empower islanders in their region to participate in international engagements.

Policy research centers

As of November 2015, the Islands Society has three policy research centers. These include the Center on Public Diplomacy and Insular Affairs (CPDIL), Center on International Law and Insular Affairs (CILIA), and Center on International Security and Insular Affairs (CISIA). Staff affiliated with these centers regularly publish commentary and policy briefs in foreign policy outlets in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America. [7] [8]

Regional societies

As of November 2015, the Islands Society has eight regional societies that serve specific geographic regions of the world. These include the Arctic Islands Society, Baltic Islands Society, Caribbean Islands Society, Inland Islands Society, Pacific Islands Society, Remote Islands Society, Sea Islands Society, and Mediterranean Islands Society. Of these, the Pacific Islands Society is by far the largest.

Pacific Islands Society

The Pacific Islands Society (PacSoc) is an influential foreign policy research institute that operates as an autonomous arm of the Islands Society. It is currently based in Honolulu. [9] To date, it has launched numerous programs for women, minorities, veterans, and next generation leaders across the Pacific. It has also attracted a large social media following. As of November 2015, its Facebook page has over 3,800 Likes. [10]

Sea Islands Society

The Sea Islands Society (SeaSoc) is a public policy research institute that operates as an autonomous arm of the Islands Society. It is based on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. [11] It supports women, minorities, veterans, and next generation leaders who reside on barrier islands off the coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. It is also a member of the inter-agency working group that is tasked with establishing the Beaufort County Civil Rights Commission. [12]

Programs

The Islands Society has developed and implemented a number of programs for women, minorities, veterans, and next generation leaders from island communities. These include Next Generation Artists, Security Scholars, Young Leaders on Disarmament, and Local Female Leaders. [13]

Congressional support

A number of members of Congress have spoken out in support of the organization's women and next generation programs. These include:

Merger

The Islands Society resulted from the merger of two pre-existing nonprofit organizations. In September 2015, the Emerging Science and Technology Policy Centre and the Pacific Islands Society officially merged. [16] In that merger, the surviving nonprofit was the Emerging Science and Technology Policy Centre. It was renamed the Islands Society. [17]

Funding

The Islands Society is funded by private sources. [18] It receives monetary and in-kind support from a variety of individuals and organizations. [19]

Awards

In November 2015, the Islands Society was recognized as a 2015 Top-Rated Nonprofit by the users of GreatNonprofits. [20] It was one of only 10 recipients in South Carolina and the only recipient from Hilton Head Island. [21] Prior to the merger, the Pacific Islands Society was also recognized as a 2014 Top-Rated Nonprofit. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eni Faleomavaega</span> American politician

Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. was an American Samoan politician and attorney who served as the territory's third lieutenant governor, from 1985 to 1989 and non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, from 1989 to 2015. As a delegate, Faleomavaega served on committees and spoke on the House floor; however, he was not permitted to vote on the final passage of any legislation. He also was the father-in-law of former professional American football fullback Fui Vakapuna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Rim</span> Land area comprising the rim of the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Basin includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insular area</span> U.S. territory that is neither a U.S. state nor the District of Columbia

In the law of the United States, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. This includes fourteen U.S. territories administered under U.S. sovereignty, as well as three sovereign states each with a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The term also may be used to refer to the previous status of the Philippine Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands when it existed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Wildlife Federation</span> U.S. nonprofit environmental organization

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).

The Sun Grant Association is a group of six U.S. universities that serve as regional centers of the Sun Grant Initiative, established by the U.S. Congress in the Sun Grant Research Initiative Act of 2003. They research and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly bio-based energy alternatives. The Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, and the Department of Agriculture are partners in the initiative. The centers were established at land-grant universities to serve different geographic regions of the United States, in the tradition of the Congress-established programs of sea-grant colleges in 1966 and space-grant colleges in 1988.

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to "improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia". The Asia Foundation (TAF) was established in 1954 to undertake cultural and educational activities on behalf of the United States Government in ways not open to official U.S. agencies. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works in more than 20 countries through a network of 18 offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Its work across the region is focused on good governance, women's empowerment and gender equality, inclusive economic growth, environment and climate action, and regional and international relations. The Foundation's Let's Read program is a free digital library in local languages and puts digital content and books into the hands of students, educators and leaders in 20+ countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs</span> Public policy school of the University of Texas

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is a graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin that was founded in 1970 to offer training in public policy analysis and administration for students that are very interested in pursuing careers in government and public affairs-related areas of the private and nonprofit sectors. Degree programs include a Master of Public Affairs (MPAff), a mid-career MPAff sequence, 16 MPAff dual degree programs, a Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS), eight MGPS dual degree programs, an Executive Master of Public Leadership, and a Ph.D. in public policy. The LBJ School is currently ranked 7th among public affairs programs in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report, up from 8th in 2021.

The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University seeks to expand understanding and accelerate critical thinking about civil society among scholars, practitioners, policy makers and the general public, by encouraging scholarship, developing curriculum, fostering mutual learning between academics and practitioners, and shaping policies that enhance the sector and its role in society. The Hauser Center was established by Rita Hauser and her husband Gustave M. Hauser in 1997.

The Maryland School of Public Policy is one of 14 schools at the University of Maryland, College Park. The school is located inside the Capital Beltway and ranks 16th nationally for schools of public policy according to U.S. News & World Report (2012).

The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) is one of 17 schools comprising the University of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1957 to study national and international public administration, GSPIA prides itself on its "Local to Global" distinction. As of 2018, it is one of only two policy schools with programs in the top 20 for both International Relations and City Management and Urban Policy. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, is a GSPIA alumnus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCourt School of Public Policy</span>

The McCourt School of Public Policy is one of ten constituent schools of Georgetown University. The McCourt School offers master's degrees in public policy, international development policy, policy management, data science for public policy, and policy leadership as well as administers several professional certificate programs and houses fifteen affiliated research centers. The McCourt School has twenty-one full-time faculty members, ten visiting faculty members, more than one-hundred adjunct faculty members and approximately 450 enrolled students across the various degree and executive education programs.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute(EESI) is an independent, bi-partisan 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to promote environmentally sustainable societies. Based out of Washington, DC, EESI seeks to be a catalyst moving society away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future. The organization was established in 1984 by a bipartisan and bicameral group of members of the United States Congress who were concerned with global environmental and energy problems.

Education in the Northern Mariana Islands is linked to the United States Department of Education as the Northern Mariana Islands form part of the United States Commonwealth. This encompasses the sectors of pre-K, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and college education. The main governing body in the region is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System whose headquarters are located on Capital Hill, Saipan. Currently, there are 20 schools operating within the CNMI PSS. There are also a number of private and home school systems operating in the region. The educational system follows a similar model to the United States educational system whereby children between the ages of 5-16 are mandated to attend formal school. All educational institutions, systems and budget are governed first by the US Board of Education, followed by the Northern Mariana Islands State Board of Education, which was established in 1988 as a requirement of the Northern Mariana Islands Constitution.

Samoan literature can be divided into oral and written literatures, in the Samoan language and in English or English translation, and is from the Samoa Islands of independent Samoa and American Samoa, and Samoan writers in diaspora. Samoan as a written language emerged after 1830 when Tahitian and English missionaries from the London Missionary Society, working with Samoan chiefly orators, developed a Latin script based Samoan written language. Before this, there were logologo and tatau but no phonetic written form.

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is an American non-profit, research institution based in Seattle, Washington, with a branch office in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Policy Network</span> Nonprofit organization in the United States

The State Policy Network (SPN) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a network for conservative and libertarian think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the United States. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advises its member think tanks on fundraising, running a nonprofit, and communicating ideas. Founded in 1992, it is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with member groups located in all fifty states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service</span> Research center at University of Texas at Austin

The RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service is a research center at University of Texas at Austin located in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. The teaching and research of the RGK Center are focused in the areas of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amata Coleman Radewagen</span> American Samoa congressperson

Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen, commonly called Aumua Amata, is an American Samoan politician who is the current delegate for the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa. Radewagen, a Republican, was elected on November 4, 2014, after defeating Democratic incumbent Eni Faleomavaega; she was the first ever Republican delegate since the office had been created in 1970 and began her tenure on January 3, 2015. She also serves as the national committee woman for the Republican Party of American Samoa. Amata is the first woman to represent American Samoa in the U.S. Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs</span> Public administration school of Cleveland State University

The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs (Levin) is an accredited college of urban studies, public administration, urban planning, environmental studies, and nonprofit management at Cleveland State University located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Levin College offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees, as well as professional development programs. Its urban policy research centers and programs provide communities with decision-making tools to address their policy challenges. The Levin College is recognized for offering highly ranked programs in urban policy, local government management, nonprofit management, and public management and leadership.

References

  1. ↑ "Overview". islandssociety.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  2. ↑ "Leadership". islandssociety.org.
  3. ↑ "Advisors". islandssociety.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  4. ↑ "Islands Society - Advisors". islandssociety.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  5. ↑ "Past Advisors". islandssociety.org.
  6. ↑ "Our Structure". islandssociety.org.
  7. ↑ "Staff Public Diplomacy Publications". islandssociety.org.
  8. ↑ "Staff International Security Publications". islandssociety.org.
  9. ↑ "Regional Societies". islandssociety.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  10. ↑ "Pacific Islands Society". facebook.com.
  11. ↑ "Sea Islands Society". facebook.com.
  12. ↑ "USC Center on Public Diplomacy". uscpublicdiplomacy.org. 28 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Projects". islandssociety.org.
  14. ↑ Congresswoman Aumua Amata (16 September 2015). "Aumua Applauds Work of the Islands Society".
  15. ↑ Congressman Eni Faleomavaega. "Faleomavaega Announces Applications for Federation of American Scientists and Pacific Islands Society Young Leaders Programs Now Available for Students to Apply".
  16. ↑ State of South Carolina. "South Carolina Secretary of State".
  17. ↑ State of South Carolina. "South Carolina Secretary of State".
  18. ↑ Islands Society. "Our Status".
  19. ↑ "Our Status". islandssociety.org.
  20. ↑ "Islands Society". greatnonprofits.org.
  21. ↑ "2015 Top-Rated Awards - South Carolina". greatnonprofits.org.
  22. ↑ "Pacific Islands Society". greatnonprofits.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.