Hawaii nonprofit people in the news

Pono Shim named new CEO of Enterprise Honolulu

Enterprise Honolulu, a nonprofit economic development agency, has promoted Pono Shim to president. Shim, previously the organization’s vice president, succeeds Mike Fitzgerald, who held the president and CEO position since 2001.

Fitzgerald, who said he plans to return to the mainland in July, will join eight-year-old organization’s board of directors. Meanwhile, Robbie Alm, executive vice president of Hawaiian Electric Co., was elected to a three-year term as chairman, effective July 1, succeeding Allen Uyeda, president and CEO of First Insurance Co. of Hawaii, who served as chairman since 2006.

“The community is really clear that we are stuck economically,” said Shim, in a statement. “And, we don’t have an idea problem, or a people problem, or a resource problem; we have a spiritual problem. We need to focus on the fact that we are problem-solvers who care about this place and each other, and remember the context-keepers and caretakers who came before us and achieved great things by putting common goals above personal interests. It is time and we can do what needs to be done to create sustainability for Hawaii if we all work together.”

Nonprofit leaders honored in PBN's Forty Under 40

The Pacific Business News selected four young nonprofit leaders among Hawaii's 40 top young business professionals honored in this year's "Forty Under 40" competition. The young business professionals honored at a ceremony on June 25 at the Hawaii Convention Center included:

• Joy Barua, interim executive director, Honolulu Community Action Program
• Donalyn Dela Cruz, public affairs director, Bishop Museum
• Josh Levinson, president and CEO, Community Links Hawaii
• Helen Turner, dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chaminade University