Vincent Kimura Founder and CEO, Smart Yields Vincent Kimura's life has been shaped by mentors at every turn: a professor, a college internship manager, a generational farmer. Kimura was born on O‘ahu, the grandson of a Japanese sugar plantation worker,…
Sondra Leiggi-Brandon Systems Director of Behavioral Health, The Queen's Medical Center "We've seen an uptick in the number of people in crisis during the pandemic," says Sondra Leiggi-Brandon, who served as systems director of behavioral health at The Queen’s Medical…
Doug Johnstone Hawaiʻi President The Howard Hughes Corp. Doug Johnstone joined Ward Village before the property had a name. “When I joined, we were starting to get our arms around the development opportunities that it presented,” he says. “And obviously…
Summer Kaiawe Attorney and Partner, Watanabe Ing "I view an attorney as someone who can solve problems and help people and companies to find solutions,” says Summer Kaiawe. “It’s a rewarding career.” Jonathan Lai is managing partner at Watanabe Ing,…
Khara Jabola-Carolus Executive Director, Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women Khara Jabola-Carolus is a fierce advocate for women and girls. As leader of the State Commission on the Status of Women, she has helped pass legislation to prohibit…
Rachel James Attorney, Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission Rachel James didn't always want to be a lawyer. But in 2015, with a master’s degree in global leadership and sustainable development and a one-year position in U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s Hawai‘i office,…
The only private industry in Hawai‘i to add jobs in 2020, the construction industry is holding its ground, but not without a new set of challenges.
Diverse projects are keeping Hawai‘i’s construction industry busy and offering much-needed support for the state’s fractured economy.
Danya Hakeem Director of Innovation, Agriculture & Circular Economy Elemental Excelerator Danya Hakeem takes a unique approach to her work: She’s always looking for ways to build bridges. Whether through documentary filmmaking, policy, legislation, community organizing or impact investing, Hakeem…
Josie Howard Executive Director, We Are Oceania During surges of COVID-19 in the Islands last year, Jocelyn "Josie" Howard and another We Are Oceania staff member took food, masks, dignity bags and other personal necessities to more than 100 Pacific…
Makena Coffman Director of UH Mānoa's Institute for Sustainability and Resilience Makena Coffman has become a go-to person on local environmental issues: everything from climate change and sea level rise to electric vehicles and emission standards. She is director of…
Ruth Erickson Executive VP of E-Commerce and Marketing Operations, Bank of Hawaii Bank of Hawaii President Peter Ho knew the bank needed someone with digital media expertise to connect with customers. So the bank launched a nationwide search by a…
Neill Char Executive VP - Commercial Banking Group First Hawaiian Bank As a 28-year-old bank branch manager, Neill Char had an epiphany. “In my first leadership role, I found my purpose in life and that is to help people realize…
Jamie Cheng Director of Commercial Operations American Savings Bank When congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program in March 2020, Jamie Cheng’s team of a dozen commercial bankers at American Savings Bank was ready. Working in shifts, they and the bank’s…