Hawaii nonprofit people in the news
YWCA honors five Hawaii nonprofit leaders
On June 18, the YWCA celebrated 33 years of women's leadership In Hawaii at Leaderluncheon 2010, honoring five outstanding community leaders: Violeta Arnobit, Faye Kennedy, Nanci Kreidman, Nola Nahulu and Leslie Wilcox.
Arnobit is president o f the Filipino Nurses Association of Hawaii, where she promoted educational programs and developed networking opportunities for nurses to build their careers. Among her many accolades, Violeta was recognized with the Nurse of the Year Excellence in Leadership Award in 2009.
Kennedy is co-chair of the Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights and President of the Hawaii Women’s Political Caucus. She has been recognized for her advocacy and civic participation by the Honolulu City Council, Who’s Who of American Women and Hawaii Literacy, Inc., among others.
Kreidman is CEO of Domestic Violence Action Center, the go-to spokesperson for the issue of domestic violence and a leader among agencies working for change, recognized for her service and achievements by the YWCA and other organizations, including Soroptomists Hawaii, Hawaii Women Lawyers and the Salvation Army.
Nahulu is director of Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus and has served as choral director for Hawaii Opera Theater, Kawaiaha‘o Church and University of Hawai‘i. She is the founder and director of the Kawaiolaonapukanileo ensemble, a group dedicated to the preservation of the Hawaiian choral music genre.
Wilcox , CEO of PBS Hawaii, is a familiar face and a household name in Hawaii as a top-rated news anchor for KHON and KGMB Television. Since taking over Hawaii’s public television station three years ago, she has strengthened local programming and local engagement, expanded children’s educational shows and brought in trusted international news, including the BBC World News and NHK World TV from Asia. In addition, the station is creating the first statewide student news network in the country, called Hiki Nō, meaning “can do.”
> Matsuoka leaves UH-Manoa to lead Consuelo Foundation – Jon K. Matsuoka, former dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, has become the Consuelo Foundation’s third president and chief executive officer. Matsuoka joined the school 25 years ago, and has served as dean for the past decade. The Consuelo Foundation operates and supports programs in the Philippines and in Hawaii that prevent and treat abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, women and families.
> Historic Hawaii names board members and new president – The Historic Hawaii Foundation elected Michael J. O'Malley as president on May 21 at its 36th annual meeting. O’Malley is a senior partner with Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, LLP, and has served as a director in the Honolulu office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and a partner in the Honolulu law firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon, LLP. In addition, foundation members elected the following people to its board of trustees: Norbert Buelsing, Greg Dickhens, Cindy Evans, Amerjit Ghag, Ann Becker Gommers, Wendie McAllaster, Ronald Sato, Kimo Todd and Tom Young.
> Entrepreneurs Foundation names board members – The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii announced that Kent Anderson, Bee Leng Chua, and Susan Yamada have joined its board. Anderson is executive director of Family Promise of Hawaii and helped launch the organization in 2006. Bee Leng Chua, is executive director of HiBEAM, an accelerator for early stage Hawai‘i technology companies. Yamada is the executive director of the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship & E-Business at the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
> Maui United Way elects new officers – The Maui United Way has installed new officers for its 2010-11 executive committee: Jeff Gerard, MW Group, chairman of the board; Lahela Aiwohi, United Public Workers, vice chairwoman; Craig Bode, American Savings Bank, treasurer; and Jay Mills, Pacific Radio Group, secretary.
> Hawaii teen named West Region Youth Advocate of the Year – Courtney Viernes-Silva of Ewa Beach, Hawaii was named West Region Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Courtney, a REAL leader, joined REAL as an eighth grader and has worked to gain adult support and recognition for youth empowerment and activism.
> Forty under 40 honorees include 11 young nonprofit leaders – The Pacific Business News Forty Under 40 awards program on Thursday, June 17 at the Hawaii Convention Center honored 40 of Hawaii's best and brightest young businessmen and businesswomen, including: Vivian Chau, founder, GIFT – Give It Fresh Today; Sheri Daniels, Maui administrator, Child and Family Service; Alexis Dascoulias, executive director, Maui Onstage; Chenoa Farnsworth, executive director, Hawaii Angels; Eric Johnson, artistic director, Honolulu Theatre for Youth; Wendi Kamiya, chief information officer, Punahou School; John Leong, president/executive director, Pono Pacific, LLC & Kupu; Nikki Love, executive director, Common Cause Hawaii; Jeffrey Mikulina, executive director, Blue Planet Foundation; Christopher Wong, district executive, Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America; and Kathryn Xian, co-founder, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery.
