Jake Fitisemanu

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jake Fitisemanu

| image = Engaging in Robust Dialogue on Diverse Issues Affecting Utah's AAPI Communities - Fitisemanu (cropped).png

| state_house = Utah

| district = 30th

| term_start = January 1, 2025

| term_end =

| predecessor = Judy Weeks-Rohner

| successor =

| birth_place = New Zealand

| party = Democratic

| website = [https://house.utleg.gov/rep/FITISJ/ Legislature website]
[https://www.jakeforutah.com Campaign website]

| education = Westminster University (BS, MPH)

}}

Jacob James Fitisemanu Jr. is an American public health professional and politician serving as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 30th district since 2025. A Democrat, he is one of the first Samoans elected to the Utah State Legislature alongside Verona Mauga.

Early life and education

Fitisemanu was born in New Zealand and raised in Hawaii and Utah. He is the oldest of eight children, raised by an American mother with Korean and Chinese ancestry, Karen Jun Lin Dang, and a Samoan father, Sauaga Jacob Fitisemanu.{{cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/13/census-west-valley-city/|title=Census: West Valley City is now ‘minority majority,’ where minority groups outnumber the white population|date=September 13, 2018|access-date=May 25, 2025|last=Davidson|first=Lee|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}} He earned a Bachelor of Science in social studies and a Masters of Public Health from Westminster University.{{cite web|url=https://voyageutah.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-jake-fitisemanu-of-west-valley-city-utah/|title=Rising Stars: Meet Jake Fitisemanu of West Valley City, Utah|date=June 26, 2024|access-date=May 25, 2025|website=Voyage Utah}}

Career

File:Engaging in Robust Dialogue on Diverse Issues Affecting Utah's AAPI Communities - Fitisemanu.png

Fitisemanu worked as a community health program manager at Intermountain Healthcare and associate instructor at the University of Utah teaching community health dynamics.{{cite web|url=https://uofuhealth.utah.edu/workforce-excellence/news/2024/01/u-of-u-health-doctors-looking-share-health-equity-research|title=U of U Health doctors looking to share health equity research with National Academy of Medicine for better patient outcomes|date=January 4, 2024|access-date=May 25, 2025|website=University of Utah}} He co-founded the Utah Pacific Islanders Health Coalition, where he worked to combat high rates of obesity and diabetes in the local Pacific Islander community.{{cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/09/debate-persists-over-rights-denied-to-millions-from-u-s-territories/|title=Debate Persists Over Rights Denied To Millions From U.S. Territories|first=Eshaan|last=Sarup|date=September 13, 2024|access-date=May 25, 2025|website=Honolulu Civil Beat}}

President Barack Obama appointed him to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, where he served until his resignation in 2017. He also served two elected terms on the U.S. Census Bureau's National Advisory Committee.

He was elected to the West Valley City council in 2017, defeating a 16-year incumbent and becoming the city's first Pacific Islander councilmember, and he was re-elected in 2022.

= Utah House of Representatives =

Fitisemanu ran for the Utah House of Representatives in 2024 for the 30th district, where Republican incumbent Judy Weeks-Rohner was retiring to run for Utah State Senate. He defeated former representative Fred Cox in the general election.{{cite web|url=https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/11/07/democrats-may-gain-a-utah-house-seat-but-republicans-retain-supermajority/|title=Democrats may gain a Utah House seat, but Republicans retain supermajority|first=Alixel|last=Cabrera|date=November 7, 2024|access-date=May 25, 2025|website=Utah News Dispatch}} Alongside Verona Mauga, this made him one of the first Samoans elected to the Utah State Legislature.

Personal life

Fitisemanu and his wife, Lucia Carvalho, and their two daughters reside in West Valley City, Utah. He holds the Samoan chiefly title "Laufou," bestowed upon him by the village of Toamua-Puipa'a. His uncle, John, was the chief plaintiff in Fitisemanu v. United States.