Faiivae Iuli A. Godinet is an

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

n politician and sports executive serving as a member of the

American Samoa Senate The American Samoa Senate is the upper house of the American Samoa Fono. The Senate, like the lower House of Representatives, is a nonpartisan body. It is composed of 18 senators, serving a four-year term. The first name for the upper house of ...

and president of the

Football Federation American Samoa Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) is the governing body for competitive soccer in American Samoa. History It came into existence following inaugural elections held in late 2007. The new general secretariat took office under newly electe ...

. In 2020, Godinet announced his bid for

Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa The government of American Samoa consists of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and the American Samoa Fono, which consists of an 18-member Senate and a 21-member House of Representatives. The first popular election for Governor an ...

as the running mate of

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

president, Gaoteote Palaie Tofau.

Early life and education

Godinet was born and raised in

Leone, American Samoa Leone is the second-largest city on Tutuila Island's west coast.Clayville, Melinda (2021). ''Explore American Samoa: The Complete Guide to Tutuila, Aunu'u, and Manu'a Islands''. Page 70. . The village is on the south-west coast of Tutuila Island, ...

, the ninth of 16 children. Godinet earned an

Associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

from

Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a Public college, public community college in Wilmington, California. It is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay, Los Angeles, South Bay region of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. LAHC s ...

and bachelor's degree from

California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...

. Godinet returned to

after graduation.

Career

Godinet has served as the president of

since 2007. He also served as vice president of the

Oceania Football Confederation The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It ...

. After serving in several local government positions, Godinet served as Chief of Staff for

Eni Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. ( ; August 15, 1943 – February 22, 2017) 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 State ...

during his time as a Delegate to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. Godinet was also a member of the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority. In 2017, Godinet was elected to serve as a member of the

for the 11th district. In 2020, Godinet was selected as the running mate of

president, Gaoteote Palaie Tofau, in the 2020 American Samoa gubernatorial election.

References

American Samoa senators California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni Living people Los Angeles Harbor College alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{AmericanSamoa-politician-stub