Hawaii nonprofit people in the news

Coralie Matayoshi is PBN Nonprofit Businesswoman of the Year

Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO of the nonprofit Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross, was chosen by Pacific Business News as Businesswoman of the year in the nonprofit category, the newspaper announced on April 23. Matayoshi, former executive director of the Hawaii State Bar Association, has led the local Red Cross since 2003. She is profiled by PBN in this article.

“I knew zero about the Red Cross,” she said regarding the move from law to disaster response, “so it was a huge learning curve. But I knew how to run an organization and how to manage boards and volunteers. I had the foundation and skill set. I’m now in a position where I can make a difference and I’m passionate about doing so. The more I learn about us, the more passionate I become.”

Besides disaster preparedness and response, the local Red Cross chapter also teaches CPR and first aid to approximately 33,000 people a year. Matayoshi also serves on the boards of the Aloha United Way and Diamond Head Theatre, as well as on the alumni association board for Hastings College, where she earned a law degree after majoring in political science at the University of California-Berkeley.

A mother of three, Matayoshi and her husband, Ron, the director of international programs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Social Work, reside in Kaimuki.

Mental Health Hawaii to honor trailblazers

Mental Health America of Hawaii will honor an “Ohana of Mental Health Trailblazers,” including leaders in military mental health, infant mental health, clubhouse and hotel managers, advocates and program founders on Tuesday, May 4 at the Fifth Annual Mental Health Mahalo Award Winner luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu. They include: Mary Jane Amundson, PhD, president of the Institute for Family Enrichment, named Outstanding Community Mental Health Leader for pioneering in transforming mental health services for children, adolescents and their families for 50 years; Gail Breakey, RN, MPH,  co-founder of Hawai`i Healthy Start in 1985, named Outstanding Community Mental Health Leader as director of the Hawaii Family Support Institute at Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, UH-Manoa and organizer of the Hawaii Association for Infant Mental Health; Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Jones, commander of Pacific Regional Medical Command and Tripler Army Medical Center, named Outstanding Government Mental Health Leader for developing groundbreaking mental health programs to identify, treat and prevent, mental health disorders among soldiers and families; Kathleen Rhoads Merriam, statewide Clubhouse Coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Health, named Outstanding  Government Mental Health Leader for being a passionate advocate for building and sustaining Clubhouses throughout the state and, as vice president of the Metro Honolulu Rotary, forging a productive public-private partnership in support of Clubhouses; Kauai Marriott Resort named Outstanding Mental Health Business Leader as the first Hawaii Hotel to Hire Clubhouse Members; Mike Pablin, client services coordinator for APS Healthcare’s Community Care Services, named Outstanding Adult Consumer Advocate for being a compassionate and dedicated advocate for people with severe and persistent mental illness; Iris Yawen Xiao, advocate for prevention of bullying and suicide, named Outstanding Youth Consumer Advocate for being a public advocate for Mental Health  America of Hawaii-Maui, Hawaii Families As Allies, and the Maui Disabilities Alliance.

Singer/surfer Jack Johnson stages Kokua Festival

"I never thought of it as trying to save the world so much as trying not to ruin it," says Hawaii-born, international star Jack Johnson  of his green-friendly tour and his annual Kokua Festival in Hawaii. This year's festival, held April 23 and 24 at the Waikiki Shell, was a green-friendly event that raised awareness and funds for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which he and his wife created to give back to the community where he grew up.

For Jack Johnson, environmentalism has always been second nature. Born in Hawaii, he followed in his father's footsteps and took to the waves at an early age, eventually becoming the youngest surfer to ever make the finals at the legendary Pipeline Masters event on Oahu's North Shore.

And with that involvement in surfing came a keen awareness of not just the ocean, but the land as well. Which is why, when he switched gears and became a musician, he also quickly latched on to environmental groups like the Surfrider Foundation and Heal the Ocean.

"It kind of all started back when I could first fill up a room with people, when it was a couple hundred people, I started getting asked by Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Ocean, Heal the Bay — different groups like that — if I would help doing fundraisers for them," Johnson said. "And when that started, I realized you could use music to gather people to raise awareness or to raise funds, and we took that little spark and started rolling with it." Click here to read more about Johnson and the festival.

Tracy Jones named executive director of Pacific Whale Foundation

Pacific Whale Foundation, a nonprofit organization based on Maui with projects in Ecuador and Australia, named Tracy Ann Jones to become its executive director, effective April 15. Jones previously worked for the foundation from 1993 through 1999 as director of Naturalist Programs and as a Marine Research Naturalist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University. She has lived on Maui since 1992. Jones replaces Greg Kaufman, who founded the organization in 1980. Kaufman becomes chairman of the foundation board and its chief scientist, allowing him more time to focus on whale research. Pacific Whale Foundation is Hawaii's oldest and largest marine research, education and conservation organization. The nonprofit was founded in 1980 by a small group of people who were determined to help save whales from extinction.

Kaiser lobbyist Phyllis Dendle named Grassroots Champion

 A Kaiser Permanente Hawaii lobbyist has received the state’s Grassroots Champion award from the American Hospital Association and Healthcare Association of Hawaii. Phyllis Dendle, Kaiser’s director of government relations, was recognized for educating elected officials on how major issues affect her hospital’s role in the community. Dendle, a lobbyist for more than 20 years, has been with Kaiser for 13. She is chairwoman of the government relations committee for the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.