The Honorable Joshua “Josh” Franquez Tenorio is the 10th elected Lieutenant Governor of Guam. He is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of managing large organizations in both the public and private sectors and has led numerous government boards and non-profit organizations. He lives in Talofofo and was raised in Sinajana.
Since taking office in January 2019, Lt. Governor Tenorio has spearheaded efforts that embrace sustainable development and has worked tirelessly to expand youth programs and opportunities, reduce homelessness and poverty, expand drug and alcohol treatment programs, and improve the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. He is focused on modernizing the business license and building permit systems and improving public infrastructure including village streets and roadways.
He is the Chairman of the Islandwide Beautification Task Force, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Guam Hazard Mitigation Committee, and the Guam Product Seal Task Force. He is the Co-Chairperson of the Guam Green Growth (G3) Steering Committee and has oversight over the Guam State Clearinghouse, charged with monitoring federal grant expenditures and programs.
As the first LGBTQ person to be elected Lt. Governor in the United States, he advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion, and is a founding member of the non-profit, Equality Guam. He is a current and founding member of the Talofofo Rangers Lions Club. Tenorio currently serves on the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) board of directors, an international organization whose mission is to build resilient and sustainable island communities; and was selected by his peers to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association.
Lt. Governor Tenorio began his career as a caseworker in Guam and later as legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Robert A. Underwood in the U.S. House of Representatives. He then served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez, concurrently serving as Director of the Bureau of Planning and later as Deputy Director of the Bureau of Budget and Management Research. He led disaster response and recovery efforts as the Governor’s Authorized Representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Typhoons Paka, Chata’an, Pongsona, and the 2001 earthquake. In the Guam Legislature, he served as Judiciary and Transportation Committee Director for Senator Randy Cunliffe and as Chief of Staff to Senator Benjamin J.F. Cruz.
Tenorio took a pause in government service and took roles in the private sector, including Director of Business Development for CoreTech International, Associate Publisher of GU Magazine, and was elected to the Guam Contractors Association.
He returned to public service after being appointed to be Director of Policy, Planning, and Community Relations by Chief Justice F. Philip Carbullido and was later appointed Administrator of the Courts of the Judiciary of Guam by Chief Justice Robert J. Torres. He was unanimously confirmed to the position by the Judicial Council of Guam. Lt. Governor Tenorio is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management at the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia and is a certified court manager and court executive.
Tenorio returned to the private sector in 2017 and became Vice President of Guam Autospot prior to his election as Lieutenant Governor of Guam. He previously served as Chairman of the Guam Preservation Trust, the Guam Historic Preservation Review Board, the Department of Chamorro Affairs Board of Trustees, Pa’a Taotao Tano and Films by Youth Inside. He has also served as a member of the Guam Election Commission and the Sinajana Municipal Planning Council.
Tenorio recently served on the Executive Committee of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and the Democratic National Committee. He is a former Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Guam and was selected as the 2008 Obama for America Guam Caucus Campaign Manager by the Obama for America Campaign.
Tenorio was the Speaker of the 17th Guam Youth Congress, is a 1991 graduate of the Guam Community College Vocational High School and proud alumnus of Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School, Cathedral Grade School, C.L. Taitano Elementary School and Infant of Prague.
His many awards and honors include the 2021 NLGA Energy and Environmental Stewardship Award, presented in partnership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) and Baker Hughes.
He was raised by his parents, the late Jesus Atoigue Tenorio, a retired telephone man; and Therese Taitano Franquez Tenorio, a retired schoolteacher. His late grandfather, Jose Cruz Franquez, is his role model.