Hawaii nonprofit people in the news

Hawaii’s ‘Living Treasures’ honored by Honpa Hongwanji Mission

Dr. Livingston M.F. Wong, Dr. Jack H. Scaff Jr., Josephine Kaukali Fergerstrom, Dr. Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes and Masaru Oshiro are being honored by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii as this year's Living Treasures of Hawaii, individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their fields and made lifelong, significant contributions toward creating a more humane society, often without public recognition.

• Wong is credited for groundbreaking work in kidney and bone-marrow transplants in the Hawaii Organ Transplant Program and the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii. He has provided leadership to the Organ Donor Center and the Transplant Institute of Hawaii at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, according to a Hongwanji announcement. Wong also was instrumental in forming Hawaii's Statewide Emergency Management System, particularly its communication infrastructure.
• Scaff is a cardiologist who helped start the Honolulu Marathon. He has provided thousands of Hawaii residents and international visitors with support and training through running clinics and outreach sessions.
• Fergerstrom is a kumu lauhala artist and teacher who has helped preserve the Hawaiian weaving tradition. She has contributed largely to churches, community festivals, the Kona Life Care Center, Hulihee Palace and the Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture. Fergerstrom is also the founder of a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect key hala trees on the Big Island.
• Hughes has led groundbreaking dietary and health programs for the native Hawaiian community as chief of the state Department of Health nutrition branch. She has served as chairwoman of the American Cancer Society's Native Hawaiian Cancer Committee, and of the Health Committee of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.
• Oshiro is a social worker with military and case worker experience, including intensive work with Korean War veterans. He developed groundbreaking protocols for native Hawaiian healing practices. Oshiro has served on the boards of directors for the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, Palama Settlement, the Domestic Violence Legal Hotline and Clearinghouse, and the American Red Cross.

Other names in the news:

> Cheryl Kauhane Lupenui, president and CEO of the YWCA of Oahu will step down, effective March 31. Lupenui joined the YWCA of Oahu in 1997 and has served as president and CEO since 2001. During her tenure the YWCA launched Dress for Success, Honolulu Life Inc., Homebase Transitional Housing, Women Leading Change-Hawaii, CAFE Y (Culinary Arts for Enterprising Youth) and the Ways to Work family loan program, among others. Lupenui "was instrumental in working with the community to raise more than $20 million in funds to revitalize the YWCA's facilities, programs," said Lissa Guild Eveleth, YWCA of Oahu board of directors chairwoman. The Y and its programs under her leadership have served more than 5,000 women and girls, 2,300 members and 300 volunteers each year. A spokeswoman said Lupenui, who is a member of HANO's board of directors, is exploring other opportunities to serve in the community. Maria Boritzer, currently the organization’s assistant comptroller, will be interim managing director. An executive search is expected to begin this month; a search firm has not yet been named.

> Dr. Virginia Pressler was named to the advisory committee for infant mortality for a three-year term by Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. secretary of health and human services. Pressler is executive vice president and chief strategic officer for Hawaii Pacific Health, which has named new board members: Karen Chang, chairwoman, Lyle Tabata, Andy Kawano, James Kakuda and Laurie S. Foster. Retiring from the board are David T. Pietsch Jr., former chairman, Pamela W. Dohrman, Don Wilcox and Clint Churchill.

> Greg Payton was named by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to be deputy director of the Department of Health’s Behavioral Health division. Payton has more than 25 years of experience in leading nonprofit organizations for people with disabilities. He most recently served as the CEO of Mental Health Kokua.

> Kealii Lopez, former CEO of the nonprofit Olelo Community Media, has been confirmed by the Hawaii Senate as director of the state Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs.

> Dianne Ward, who has been in the nonprofit industry for more than 15 years, has been named president of Junior Achievement, Hawaii Inc. She will be responsible for building partnerships and collaborating with business, education and civic leaders to provide motivation and hands-on learning for youths. Ward previously served as executive director of the Hawaii Arthritis Foundation.

> Charlene Pinao returns to the KEY Project after a few years’ hiatus as fiscal officer with duties that include managing the funding resources of the agency, preparing and managing the agency's budget, handling grant management and reporting, responding to RFPs, assisting in increasing individual and corporate donor support and effectively reaching target groups and individual funding sources, creating and maintaining a donor database, and participating in agency-wide strategic planning and program development.

> Angie Golis-Yamamoto has been appointed director of development for Honolulu Waldorf School where she will be responsible for organizing, supervising and planning all activities that support non-tuition funding. Golis-Yamamoto’s experience includes working as director of development for Damien Memorial School, Academy of the Pacific, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu and the University of Hawaii Foundation, as well as development and marketing specialist for Easter Seals Hawaii.

> Pacific Islanders in Communications announced Amber McClure has been named content coordinator. She was previously a public relations manager for the "More Than You Think/The Stronger Influence" underage drinking prevention campaigns. Also, Micky Huihui becomes community engagement coordinator. She has more than 10 years of experience in community outreach in Hawaii and was previously serving as ohana and community development/site director at Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School.

> Queen's Medical Center has named Nancy Valla as its director of inpatient services. She will be responsible for managing inpatient neurology, labor and delivery, postpartum, nursery and inpatient oncology units. Dr. Shane Morita, a surgical oncologist at the Queen's Medical Center and the University of Hawaii, received the "2011 North Central Cancer Treatment Group Junior Faculty Academic Community Partnership Award." He will use the three-year award to conduct research on ethnic differences of melanoma.

> Queen Liliuokalani Trust has hired Tanya M. Souza as manager for the trust's interpretive center, which is scheduled to open in early 2012. She was previously an archaeologist at Pacific Legacy.

> Kaiser Permanente Hawaii added new physicians: Ted Keyes, M.D., hematology/oncology, Wailuku Clinic; Deborah Lachance, M.D., obstetrics/gynecology, Kona Clinic; Ronald Martin, M.D., hospitalist, Wailuku Clinic; Ali Merchant, M.D.., cardiology, Moanalua Medical Center; Pamela Monzon, M.D., family medicine, Honolulu Clinic; Luca Vassalli, M.D., otolaryngology, Moanalua Medical Center; and  Anthea Wang, M.D., internal medicine, Honolulu Clinic.

> Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has announced the election of new officers: Alvin Parker, a native Hawaiian public charter school leader, was elected to another term as chairman; vice chair is William Ornellas, a native Hawaiian attorney; treasurer is Michelle Kauhane, a homestead leader; and secretary is Li Garcia-Ballard, a native Hawaiian business leader.

> American Institute of Architects has awarded AIA Honolulu Executive Vice President Amy Blagriff with the AIA national service award. The award recognizes her years of commitment to the architectural profession and its members, and dedication to design issues in the community. Blagriff also serves as one of 10 members of the AIA national executive committee.

> Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii has elected Mark R. James as its president. He is serving as president of the association for the second time, having previously led the group in 1994-1995. James heads the Mason-McDuffie Mortgage Corp. operation in Hawaii.

> Kupu’s AmeriCorps VISTA member, Mari Takemoto-Chock, who has been helping to develop the Urban Corps Program, has been named a Corps Member of the Year, one of only six out of more than 20,000 corps members nationwide to be honored at the 2011 Annual Corps Forum. Kupu also won the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Project of the Year award, for the Recovery Youth Conservation Corps AmeriCorps Program.