The Honorable Ralph DLG. Torres is the 9th Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, serving alongside Lieutenant Governor Arnold I. Palacios, and the youngest Governor in the United States of America at 40 years old.
Prior to this new term in office, Governor Torres served alongside Lt. Governor Victor B. Hocog, as Lieutenant Governor under Governor Eloy S. Inos, as President of the 18th Northern Marianas Commonwealth Senate, and as the Chairman of the Committee on Health and Welfare in the 17th Northern Marianas Commonwealth House of Representatives.
Born on August 6, 1979, Governor Torres was raised on the island of Saipan until his family moved to Boise, Idaho where he attended high school. He attended Boise State University and earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Following the unfortunate passing of Governor Inos in late 2015, Governor Torres ascended to the governorship of the CNMI on December 29, 2015.
As Governor, he serves as the Co-Chair of the Strategic Economic Development Council, which brings together public and private sector leaders to discuss critical economic development policies. Through this role, he has actively advocated for economic and labor legislation for the CNMI in Washington, DC with Members of Congress and the White House.
He was instrumental in the passage of the Northern Mariana Islands US Workforce Act of 2018, which provided for effective wage protection for US workers, an acknowledgement of CNMI long-term guest workers, stronger development of local US workforce capacity, and allows for a substantial labor pool for the CNMI’s ongoing economic development. Through his work in promoting the CNMI, he led formal agreements with Skymark Airlines for Saipan to become the airlines’ first international destination and the first Japan-based air carrier to provide direct flights from Tokyo since 2005.