When she learned that a supervisor position would be opening where she worked, Ana Malafu-Eliesa decided to enroll in the executive MPA (EMPA) program at the BYU Marriott School of Business. However, shortly before she graduated in 2007, an unexpected event changed her life—and career path—forever.
As a juvenile justice liaison with the Salt Lake County Economic Development department, Malafu-Eliesa's responsibilities involved working with at-risk kids and providing the tools they needed to attend college. She loved her job and knew her supervisor planned to retire within the next few years. However, one of the prerequisites for the supervisor position was a master’s degree in public administration.
“I was not thrilled about the idea of going back to school,” Malafu-Eliesa admits. “But one of my coworkers received his MPA at BYU Marriott and encouraged me to look into the program. I eventually decided to embrace the challenge of returning to college.
“My dad instilled in me a desire for education,” she continues. “He was one of the first Tongans to migrate to Maui, Hawaii, where I was raised, and he always said education was the key to advancement and supporting my family. I wanted to further my education for him too, so he would know I listened to and trusted his advice.”
Unfortunately, when Malafu-Eliesa was in the last year of the EMPA program, her dad had a heart attack. “I had a difficult decision to make. The supervisor position I desperately wanted and had gone to school for was opening soon, but I also knew my dad didn’t have much time left,” she shares. “I made a decision that I will never regret: I moved back to Maui after I graduated to take care of my dad.”
A few months after Malafu-Eliesa returned home, her dad, although still ill, encouraged her to find a job. She started looking and applied for a position as a victim witness counselor for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Maui. She was offered the job and started in 2007. Four years later, her father passed away.
In 2014, the director of Malafu-Eliesa's division retired. Luckily, she met one of the main requirements for the position: having an MPA degree. She applied and was chosen to be the new victim witness division director. During Malafu-Eliesa 's time as division director, there were several mass shootings in the area, which prompted her to attend a training for mass violence held in Las Vegas.
While in Nevada, Malafu-Eliesa learned that the victim witness administrator position for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office was open. Her dream job is to work for the FBI as a victim specialist supervisor, and she knew that supervising a large area such as Clark County would help her move toward that goal. “When I heard about this position, I was recently remarried and decided I needed a change of scenery,” she says. She applied for the position and started the job in March 2020.
Malafu-Eliesa feels immensely grateful for her time in the EMPA program, which not only opened doors in her career but also gave her the skills to be an effective leader. “People think that to be an administrator, you need to focus mainly on having a good heart and caring about people,” she says. “While those are definitely important aspects of my job, I also need to know about policies, procedures, and how to lead my employees. My MPA degree provided me with the tools and abilities to help not just victims and witnesses but also my staff and administration.”
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Writer: Sarah Calvert
