HANO begins planned leadership transition

The Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations on Feb. 1 announced plans to hire a new chief executive this year after a managed executive search and transition. HANO CEO John Flanagan, who has led the organization for five years during which it expanded its programs and increased membership to 280 nonprofit organizations statewide, announced plans to retire in the fall.

“John has been instrumental to the creation of HANO and has worked hard to make HANO the successful organization it is today,” said Laura Robertson, HANO board chair and president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Hawai‘i, Inc. “HANO has become a strong voice for Hawai‘i nonprofits and is well positioned to move into the future.”

“I am committed to giving HANO my all until a new CEO comes on board,” Flanagan said, adding that he will remain in Honolulu and expects to continue to support HANO in some capacity. “I’m convinced that the sooner the organization takes a leadership transition into account, the stronger it will emerge from the process,” he said.

The HANO board and Flanagan have pledged to work together this year to assure a smooth, well-planned executive transition, Robertson said. The board has created a search committee lead Robertson and Jerry Rauckhorst, vice chair of the HANO board and CEO of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, and is engaging an executive search firm to assist in this process.

“John has done a great job of bringing HANO into existence and to where it is today,” Rauckhorst said. “He has developed a solid membership and foundation to build on.”

“The search committee will share information and communicate with the membership on a regular basis as we move forward,” Robertson said, noting that HANO will work to apply and model best practices in nonprofit executive transitions.

HANO unites and strengthens the nonprofit sector as a collective force to improve the quality of life in Hawai‘i, providing training, technical assistance, leadership, information and advocacy for charitable organizations throughout the state.