Ging Ging Liu Fernandez

The Organization of Women Leaders is off to a great start in 2020 with guest speaker Ging Ging Fernandez! Ging Ging is a new partner at D’Artagnan Consulting, a professional services firm specializing in transportation funding policy. Ging Ging is currently consulting with Hawaii State officials on our State’s transportation issues.

Early on, Ging Ging loved figuring out how things worked, which led her to the field of engineering. She attended Harvey Mudd College, a science and engineering school in Claremont, California, where there were 3 men for every 1 woman. After graduation, Ging Ging worked at Direct TV, and it was during this time she traveled to Europe and became fascinated by how well the integrated public transportation system worked. She then decided to go back to school to study transportation policy at MIT and was hooked!

Working for D’Artagnan Consulting, Ging Ging moved to Hawaii with her husband and 3 sons to put together a team to consult on Hawaii’s transportation issues. Arriving in Hawaii, she encountered a wonderful network of professional women who readily opened doors for her, which she found to be truly unique and special.

Finding success in a field dominated by men, Ging Ging never felt a “glass ceiling” until she had children and had to navigate the demands of her profession and motherhood. She encouraged each of us to help other moms in the workplace by supporting flexible work schedules to help moms manage the demands of job and motherhood.

As a finale thought, Ging Ging related that she has found a key to her success is pushing herself to do things outside her comfort zone. She encouraged each of us to think about what we would do if we could not fail. Those are the things we should be doing!

Bettina Mehnert

Bettina Mehnert was the keynote speaker at the OWL Annual Meeting November 4, 2019. She shared her experience lending to this year’s theme of “Leading by Example”.

Bettina is a respected visionary and leader and has amplified her impact as the first woman President and CEO of AHL, formerly known as Architects Hawaii Ltd., and most recently was named 2019 CEO of the Year by Hawaii Business Magazine.

Her pursuit of architecture proved to be a worthwhile and fulfilling one. She admits it is one of those professions where you do not really need to make up your mind about what you want to do and this flexibility means she has room for creativity and fun. “Fun”, she explains, “is key. Life must be fun. At times, she admits, this may appear less appropriate from the perspective of a CEO, but at some point it becomes the responsibility of the leader to ensure the work employees do is fun to encourage engagement and reinvigorate passion.

The German native arrived in Hawaii through a government scholarship.  She can still remember each firm she applied to and how she was treated at each one. When she stumbled upon AHL, she felt it was the right fit as soon as she walked in and therefore did not leave until they promised a position for her. Since then, Bettina became the first woman in management and now, 30 years later, she is at the helm of the second-largest architecture firm in Hawaii.

On the rare occasion that Bettina asked her mother for advice, the words that stuck with her included, “If you didn’t get something that you really wanted, then did you really want it?” and “The higher up you are able to go, the bigger the impact that you have.” These words gave her the perspective and courage to take up the jobs and roles that led her to becoming the CEO of her company.

The most touching part of Bettina’s time with OWL members was when she shared her “most-craziest” thing she has ever done – adopting a baby as a single mother at the age of 40. Bettina admitted that she still wonders if the decisions she makes now leads Anna, her beautiful 14- year old daughter, to a life that is better than the life she would have had otherwise.

Bettina left us with some of the following words of advice and food for thought to keep us effective on the job as we continue our own personal journeys through professional advancement and leadership development:

• Everything you do deep down inside needs to be fun. Why else would we get up in the morning?

• What makes you passionate? Know what gets you up in the morning.

• Preparation is key to every success in life. You need to think things through.

• The higher up you are able to go, the bigger the impact you have.

• Don’t lose your way.

• Trust your gut.

• Do a double check once in a while, even if it means you have to quit.

• Taking a step back and saying “Oops, maybe that wasn’t quite right” and admitting something may have been the wrong decision is okay.

• Never settle.

Cheryl Oncea

Cheryl Oncea

— by Joni Marcello

What We Heard - Cheryl Oncea, Publisher of Hawaii Business Magazine

Cheryl Oncea was the featured speaker at the OWL September 2019 luncheon. Cheryl is a true leader in our community, discussing that the path to leadership is to Lead by Example, which she stated is exemplified through encouragement, patience, and balance. Through the video she shared, children provided their perspective of what it means to be a true leader.  They defined a leader to be supportive, understanding and allowing their team to make mistakes.   

Cheryl’s career started with a visit to Hawaii one summer and it was from here in Hawaii that she launched her 40 years in media.  Cheryl began her career in radio, but soon switched to television.  It was at KGMB/KHNL that she met one of the many impactful mentors in her career, Rick Blangiardi.  Mr. Blangiardi lead his team through team building, setting expectations and striving for goals. However, at this time in her career, Cheryl had the mindset of management avoidance and enjoyed working for herself.  Then, KHNL was sold and Cheryl took a leap of faith and free lanced for Tom Moffat. 

In as much as she embraced her independence, Cheryl missed working within a team and broadcast.  That is when her prayers were answered and she received a call from our fellow OWL member, Mimi Beams who at that time was the General Manager of KSSK.  Mimi was Cheryl’s first female direct supervisor.  It was through her position of New Business Development, where Cheryl experienced a leadership style that was built upon collaboration, mentoring, teaching of the nuts & bolts of revenue and building on a team culture.  Cheryl truly embraced this differentiated way of getting things done and what and how it meant to be successful.  Just as Cheryl started feeling successful, there was an ownership change. 

This was Cheryl’s signal to move, and she transitioned to KHON, working again with Rick Blangiardi where he emulated the motto from the book, “Good to Great” of getting the right people in the right seats on the bus. Six months in to her account manager position, she was given the opportunity to be promoted to General Sales Manager however, Cheryl felt she was not qualified and turned down the position.  Rick continued to encourage her to take the position, telling her she was already doing the job and felt she deserved the title.  That is when Cheryl learned what it meant to be a true leader; one needs to be intentional and it is through team building that one needs to be purposeful while being demanding and supportive.

It was from that point forward through her years at KHON, then to Pacific Business News, back to KGMB, then to Hawaii News Now, on to Hawaii Business Magazine that Cheryl developed the following leadership knowledge that she shared with us.

- Does your leader have integrity, trust, and are they able to manage that balance? 

- Does he/she recognize that women don’t need to be like men.

- You can be amazing!  By acknowledging what you are able to do when the situation calls for it. 

            - Lead by example.

            - Provide a comfort zone for your team where they can fail safely.  This will promote creativity and courage to try new things.

            - Encourage mentoring.

- Be involved with your team.

- Avoid abusive behavior through calling people out in the group, belittling people by not listening to them, not giving the opportunity to listen and discounting people’s opinion, 

- Have integrity.

- Recognize diversity by embracing the multi-generational differences through motivational factors of keeping them inspired.

- Focus on the result and not the task.  Be less regimented.  

- Break down your communication person to person.

Meli James - Mana Up!

Meli James

— By Cheryl Cross

What We Heard - Meli James, Co-Founder of Mana Up

Meli James is the co-founder of Mana Up and serves as the President of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association.  During her insightful presentation at the OWL July Luncheon, Meli related that at the age of 27 with a great education and job, she had what she calls, “A Quarter-Life Crisis.”  On the advice of a friend, she sought and found a life coach who coaxed her into asking the hard questions.  “I wanted to move home.  I knew I would be making more money on the mainland, but I really wanted to have a good job back in Hawaii.  And, I wanted a job that brought me joy.”  So, Meli quit her job and started carving a life of interests that motivated her to start saying “yes” to meetings and people that empowered her interests.  The first one was Wine.

She first moved to San Francisco and in 2007, Meli and a co-founded launched Nirvino, a #1 ranked wine website, and later a mobile app that ranked in the top 100 for Apple and was considered a Top Ten Lifestyles app.  Desiring to return to the Aina, however, Meli made the final move back to Hawaii.

Upon her return to Hawaii, Meli initially worked as the program director of XLR8UH.  Through this and other work with Blue Start Ups, she realized she wanted to apply her experience to help those entrepreneurs who wanted to build a business in Hawaii.  What did that look like?  She knew she didn’t want to work only on Tech Start Ups, but something that was more sustainable.  It was then she envisioned Mana UP!

Mana Up is a 12-week accelerator that supports businesses <$100,000 revenue in the Consumer Packaged Goods arena.  “We are designed to support those businesses who need Phase 2 resources.  If they’ve figured out how to get to 100k in annual revenue, that’s when we turn our attention and help them cross the global finish line.”  The beauty of a group cohort is the support.  “Being an entrepreneur is lonely.  You feel isolated, you feel at risk sharing your ideas, and you can limit your circle.”  The Mana Up cohort allows business owners to be part of something bigger, inviting industry leaders, fellow entrepreneurs and successful business owners who share their successes and their failures.

Meli hopes to continue her vision of creating a shared vision for her Aina and the islands of Hawaii.  Mana Up has bolstered the work of several business, and combined has exceeded 27 million in revenue and created 300+ jobs for the State of Hawaii. 

Sunshine Topping

— by Jennifer Grems

What We Heard — Sunshine Topping

This month’s guest speaker was Sunshine Topping. Sunshine is a seasoned Human Resources executive who is passionate about leadership—especially the development of women leaders. She shared her story about the road she’s traveled from humble beginnings on Hawaiian homestead lands to becoming an organizational leader at Hawaiian Telcom.

Since leaving Hawaiian Telcom, Sunshine said she is learning how to be more purposeful and intentional. And here is what she shared with our Organization of Women Leaders about being effective leaders and mentors:

·      Understand what people’s contributions are to the company. Once you understand what your people do, you can manage and appreciate them for their contributions, not the amount of time they spend in the office.

·      Trust your people. Grow this concept and recognize people for their contributions.

·      Do good work. Be confident in your competence--it matters.

·      Take responsibility

·      Network

·      Get active in the community--get involved and help other people.

Noriko Namiki

— By Laura Lott

What We Heard -- Noriko Namiki, CEO of the YWCA Oahu.

Noriko was born in Japan and learned English at a young age from a neighborhood minister.  She was very curious as a child, a trait that she holds onto even today.  She loves learning and her perfect job would be to be a full-time student.   

The curiosity has served her well.  She was the first person in her immediate family to attended university. Graduating from Chaminade and then going on to study Journalism and work at CNN for 5 years and then ABC News.  Choosing journalism was a natural fit as it afforded her the opportunity to travel, meet people and learn about a variety of topics. 

Noriko married a CNN colleague and returned to the US where she earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University, with a goal of helping marginalized people.  So, it was a perfect fit when in 2012 she was recruited to be the Y's new Communication Director.   

The YWCA's mission of 'Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women' spoke to her and aligned with her priorities.  Just a short while after accepting the position, Noriko called upon again, this time to step into the vacant CEO position on an interim basis.  She did more than keep the lights on, she expanded the Dress for Success program and launched a new Patsy Mink Business Center.  So, it wasn't surprising that nine months later she was named the official YWCA Oahu CEO.

Noriko has a strong focus on several key principles/learnings

·      Don't let others define who I am.   "As I get older, I don't care what others think of me."

·      Don't pretend to know.  "Don't just smile and nod, ask if you need clarification or more details."

·      Nothing goes to waste. "Every skill matters, every experience is useful if you learn from it."

·      Ask for help. "This is hardest for me. But it feels good to help people.  We should help because we can."

·      Be kind to myself. "My goal is to eventually be comfortable in my own skin. Like yourself and appreciate yourself."

While, Noriko may refer to herself as an 'accidental CEO' the YWCA Oahu she is thriving under her leadership.   Some of the accomplishment and projects in the works

YWCA Oahu Locations

·      Laniakea (Richards Street location) - has a bustling array of classes and activities including their renown Dress for Success Program which serves more than 500 women per year

·      Fernhurst - Residential housing for women transitioning from prison

·      Kokokahi - Community Center for educational and recreational activities on the Windward Oahu.

Noriko knows that we all have a gift, a talent, something to share.  Your gift will bring joy to yourself and to others. Look within to find your gift because sharing this gift feels good and helps others.   

Noriko is happy and excited to be part of the Y. She is inspired to be helping women transition.  "When you think you are doing something for someone else you are actually learning and getting even more out of it"

Therese Dickerson

— By Julie Arigo

Our January luncheon speaker, Therese Dickerson, Sr. Vice President, Bank of Hawaii Organizational Development, addressed our membership on the subject of “Building an Agile Organization-Agility and Organizational Health”.  Therese is the first in our state to earn the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential from the American Society for Training & Development Certification Institute.  Nationwide, only 478 individuals hold the CPLP certification.  That said, it is no wonder our membership gained so much valuable information on a subject matter that all industries should find relevant.

Therese spoke on the subject of how disrupters can put us out of business and sometimes even being in Hawaii can put us out of business unless we acknowledge the need for agility.  This means understanding how quickly our environment is evolving, knowing how to attract and retain employees due to the war for talent, and keeping up with the rapid changes in competition, demand, technology and regulations.  

She shared the importance of the requirement to focus on organizational health, which means outperforming the competition, engaging employees on a shared vision, and empowering a team by constantly communicating with them.  Besides the bottom line, it is equally as important to think about the people in your organization.  Ensuring the team understands why they are there, what the company is trying to accomplish, and knowing how to execute are all critical components associated with a healthy organization.

BAU vs VUCA.  Working on the “Business as Usual” (BAU) model – a formal structure based on policies and procedures that does not allow for flexibility and innovation – can put a company out of business.  The “new” norm is “VUCA” – knowing the organization’s Vision, Understanding what needs to be done, having Clarity on direction, and the Agility to respond and adapt quickly to the unexpected.

The “New” Agile Paradigm is a shift from organizations running like “machines” – a top down hierarchy that creates silos, linear planning & control that doesn’t allow for deviation vs organizations running like “organisms” - organization empowered to act, procedures allow flexibility and quick mobilization on decisions.

To sum it up, there are 5 trademarks to agile organizations:

1. “North Star” embodied across the organization – a shared purpose and vision, able to sense and seize opportunities

2. “Next Generation” enabling technology – evolving technology, architecture, systems & tools

3. Network of empowered teams

4. Dynamic people that ignite and model passion

5. Rapid decisions and learning styles

True agility comes only when all five trademarks are in place and working together.

Chief Susan Ballard

As the year is quickly coming to an end, 2018 was resoundingly the Year of the Woman! We were honored to hear from one of our most admired women leaders, Captain Susan Ballard, the Honolulu Police Department's eleventh Chief of Police, and the first woman to serve in that position. Her long road to the top leadership position in the HPD presented many challenges in a traditionally male-dominated career, but Capt. Ballard's steadfast mindset of never giving up, keeping her eye on her goals, and meeting new obstacles head on became guiding principles as she shattered this glass ceiling.

November 1 marked Capt. Ballard's one year anniversary as Chief, but it could have also easily have been her first year of retirement. She had just put in her papers in 2017, to retire after a 32-year career, when the Police Chief scandal that rocked HPD opened up an opportunity for new leadership. Encouraged by her fellow officers to apply for the job, Capt. Ballard went for it and made Hawaii history.

Destined to be a leader
Growing up poor with divorced parents in North Carolina, she made up her mind very early on to always be independent and learned to take care of herself. After earning bachelors and master's degrees in health and physical education, she landed in California working in physical education and sports medicine fields. Desiring a change, she bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii and never looked back. At the urging of police officers that worked out with her at the Central YMCA she took the police application test and joined the force as just one of three women from her recruit class.

Easily bored and always up for learning new things, Capt. Ballard took on assignments working in many of the HPD Departments, including patrol, information and IT. After 28 years on the force and because of her willingness to speak up for change, she found herself among a group of outcasts  and ended up in the Central Receiving Desk which was considered a place for the "excommunicated." Instead of withering, she took it upon herself to turn the department into one of the best places to work.

Dream or nightmare
One of the first things Capt. Ballard faced in her new role as Chief was to bring together a fractured and demoralized work force. She set the tone right away of forgiveness and a shared goal of moving forward. She acknowledges that building trust internally and in the community is an ongoing process that starts with taking care of the people who work for you. Other goals she hopes to accomplish is growing the police force through recruitment, advancing the use of technology and putting in place a leadership succession plan through promotions. She credits her own successes to many mentors she has had along the way. They showed her respect and a way of leading that gave her confidence in herself.

Lessons of leadership

• What she learned from her three dogs and a blind cat - "If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away."

• No matter how high you go, remember where you came from

• You are always representing the department

• There is no balance, only priorities

• Do it anyway

• Self-care, working out and doing yoga first thing in the morning

Finally, she recounted a story about a time a woman asked her to pose for a photo with her daughter. Her unimpressed daughter resisted, asking her mother, "Why?" When she told her daughter that it was the Chief of Police, the daughter said "So, what?" Capt. Ballard's take away was that this was the legacy so many women who came before gifted to us...when young girls don't think twice about what a woman can achieve. Thank you Capt. Ballard, you are truly inspiring!

Alice Guild

For our September luncheon, our OWL ladies were honored to hear from Alice Guild.  Alice spoke about her work in restoring ‘Iolani Palace, leaving a legacy in the history of Hawaii represented by this unique palace.  

In 1882 King Kalakaua commissioned the ‘Iolani Palace to be built in a European style. It was completed in 1882 and served the monarchy until the overthrow in 1883. The Palace stood through a provisional government, the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii and finally the State of Hawaii.  By 1969, however, there was a rumor that the Palace would be torn down. Alice was chair of the Junior League of Honolulu’s Project Research Committee and was looking for a project that the members could get behind. Beadie Dawson suggested, “Why don’t we save the Palace?” That was the seed that started it all.  

The Junior League of Honolulu brought Charles R. Peterson on board to work on historic restoration of the Palace and create a plan of action. The recommendation was for there to be a commission to be appointed under the auspices of the State of Hawaii which the governor would oversee. This would be a commission of laypeople and would include: a researcher, a historical register to be published and sent to museums and collectors on a regular basis, and a watchdog organization to be formed.

Alice went back to the Junior League and asked for a 3 year commitment to publish the historical register. The Junior League served as facilitators in the process and a watchdog organization was formed called “The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace.” Rhoda Hackler, a researcher, came forward and led the 99 women through this 3 year commitment.  

At the end of 3 years, these committed women completed the project with remarkable results. An Acquisition Committee chaired by Jean Steven spent tireless hours locating and purchasing original furniture from the Palace. Today most of the furniture in Iolani Palace is original.  The Junior League continued to help and to this day many members are involved. Restoration of the Palace took 10 years to restore for $7.5 million and restoration projects continue to this day.  

Alice Guild worked with the Junior League of Honolulu and the late Princess Lilioukalani Morris to found the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace. She later served as Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Friends. Today this National Historic Landmark serves as a museum which people flock to from all over the world.

Claire Hughes

Dr. Claire Kuuleilani Hughes

-- By Lisa Ma

Our guest speaker for the July OWL meeting was Dr. Claire Kuuleilani Hughes.  Dr. Hughes has been an advocate for Native Hawaiian Health for over 30 years.  She became the state’s first Native Hawaiian registered dietician in 1959.  Dr. Hughes was appointed the chief of nutrition at the State of Hawaii Department of Health.  Her work to promote a more traditional Hawaiian diet and health programs for the Hawaiian community earned her the recognition as one of Hawaii’s Living Treasures by the Honpa Hongwangi Mission of Hawaii in 2011.  She shared her views on legacy and her fascinating research in what became the Molokai Diet.

Claire began her talk with a discussion of legacy.  She shared the stories of three women she felt provided a strong legacy in the Hawaiian culture:

• Anna Rice Cooke – art enthusiast and collector and the founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts
• Queen Liliuokalani – gifted songwriter including Aloha ‘Oe and best known for her philanthropic gift of a trust for orphans and destitute children in Hawaii
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop – lands used to fund and establish Kamehameha Schools

Dr. Hughes believes her legacy is built by hard work and doing a good job.  In addition, her driving principles are:

• Act according to professional standards
• Choose how to accomplish the job
• Judge outcomes constantly
• Do things outside employment
• Take pride in accomplishments

It was long known that the Native Hawaiian population suffered from health issues that caused them to have a shorter life expectancy.  In the late 1980’s , Dr. Hughes worked with Doctors Emmett Aluli and Kekuni Blaisdell to study the high incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes in Native Hawaiian people. The common factor was diet and with her background, Dr. Hughes was specifically requested to come to Molokai to assist with the study.  The participants were taken off the high fat diets they were consuming and ate only traditional Hawaiian foods.  The goal was not to lose weight.  They wanted the improvement in health to come from diet, not weight loss.  In 4 weeks’ time they saw a 20 point drop in cholesterol.  Dr. Hughes shared with us a comparison chart on the Molokai Diet versus an American diet.  78% of the calories on the Molokai Diet come from carbohydrates including taro, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and seaweed. 

Besides her important work on this study, Dr. Hughes also helped to secure federal funding for culturally-based health and nutrition programs for Native Hawaiians.  Dr. Hughes was part of a panel that testified before the U.S. Senate resulting in Congress passing the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988.  

Susan Yamada, Director of University of Hawaii Ventures

Entrepreneurial Thinking in the 21st Century Workplace

Did you know your current occupation could be obsolete in the next 5 to 10 years?  As global economies evolve, and the accessibility of information increases through technology, it is critical that we gage our skill level to that needed in the 21st century workplace.  Here are the four core C’s: 

1.     Creativity: Be innovative, curious and imaginative.  Think outside the box to find new solutions to old and most importantly, future problems.  Utilize new tools and models to be agile and adaptable to the organization.

2.     Critical Thinking: Learn to ask good questions - “Why?”  Practice creative destruction, as nothing can remain the same.  Evaluate whether your current practices need to change.  Avoid the ‘analysis paralysis’.  Too much information can often cloud what is important to take action.

3.     Collaboration: Build cross cultural project-based teams.  Understand that top down management is no longer effective.  It is important to be open to opinions and skills of the front-line team and allow individuals to speak up.  However, you will need to build alliances by working alongside these individuals first before taking in their recommendations.  Build trust.

4.     Communication: This is both written and verbal.  Garner the ability to express your view clearly by having a voice of non-confrontational tone and most importantly learning to listen.  

To create, continue the four skills above and keep in mind the following: 

• Gray is the new black.  Learn to make decisions without perfect information.  Decision-making is no longer based on black and white information.  
• Be an innovator and take initiative.  Volunteer for new projects.  Look for solutions, not just problems.  If you are not failing, you are not taking the initiative. We learn through our mistakes.  To be innovative, continuous learning is vital – new business ventures, models, markets, trends and technology.  
• Risk taking is the new sexy.  Practice by taking risks every day.  To start, take small steps.  Offer your opinions to gain confidence.  Empower yourself by learning new skills and pushing your comfort zone.  Those that don’t fail are not setting high enough goals. Get used to feeling uncomfortable.  
• Establish a new legacy.  Start by refocusing on the 4-C’s.  Big companies need to act like startups to stay viable.  Keep pace with the change by continuously learning new skills and being comfortable with discomfort.  

Occupations are evolving every minute.  There are new positions that did not exist 10 years ago. Hawaii’s economy is diversifying, creating these new positions to support innovation and remain viable for the future.  That is why it is critical that we continue to re-evaluation knowledge, skills and ability to ride through hard times by providing team support and collaboration. Additionally, embrace the four C’s – Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Communication.

Anna Elento-Sneed

Sexual Harassment and the #MeToo Movement were the topics of our March Speaker, Anna Elento-Sneed, President and Founding Director of ES&A Law Firm.  Anna eloquently educated the audience on a brief history of sexual harassment issues and shared how women's equality issues paralleled her own career from attending an all-male college to her work as an attorney in the labor and employment field. 

Anna shared that in the early 80’s, law schools were 30 percent women and gender discrimination, not sexual harassment, was a huge topic.  But, the focus was on the law rather than women's stories and experiences.  By 1986, however, the concept of sexual harassment had evolved and was required to be considered in the workplace.  With high-profile cases, such as Professor Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment against then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, the U.S. Navy's Tailhook scandal, and landmark Supreme Court cases on sexual harassment that allowed companies to be sued over sexual harassment, awareness of the concept of sexual harassment was on the rise.

Initially, sexual harassment was generally considered to be male to female and female to male, but in the later 1980s the concept evolved and began to include male to male and female to female.  By 1998, sexual harassment litigation had increased to a point where it threatened to paralyze the court system. That same year, the Supreme Court held in the case of Faragher v. City of Boca Raton that employers may be liable for supervisory employee acts that result in a hostile work environment.  Therefore, employers must establish policies on behavior acceptable in the workplace.

Fast forward to 2018 and the #MeeToo movement.  We still have issues.  Women now feel that if they cannot report upward, then report outward. Women are now coming forward years after events have taken place to report cases of sexual harassment, although we don't each individual's reason for waiting - whether it's fear of reprisal or a personal agenda, clearly sexual harassment is still an issue in society.

Anna's final thought.  To combat sexual harassment in the workplace and prevent a company from being held liable for the acts of its supervisors and employees, the company must establish guidelines and it must educate its employees.  Webinar training is not effective, the spoken word is better.

Allison Izu Song, Owner / Designer Allison Izu

Allison Izu Song is the owner and designer of Allison Izu.  With a father who is a serial entrepreneur and a creative mother, Allison is well-suited for the tough fashion world.  Celebrating 10 years in business, she has hit her share of speed bumps but says in hindsight they were of benefit to her career because she always learned something. 

Attending Sacred Hearts Academy and wearing a school uniform helped Allison realize how clothes are used to express personality. She also credits the all girls’ school with instilling in her the belief that she could do anything.  While at UH Manoa, she fell into the fashion world when she needed an extra elective and chose sewing. Once she realized that this was an actual major for many of her classmates she was all in.  Shortly after graduation Allison moved to New York where she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Back in Hawaii after graduation, Allison worked on various projects including sewing wedding dresses. She eventually took the lead to create a line of jeans.  Taking a risk, she borrowed all the money she could for materials and production in China. When the shipment arrived, however, it was all wrong – the fabric, the fit, everything was all wrong.  This was a devastating blow but again, a huge life lesson.

With courage, Allison picked herself up and headed to try her luck in the Los Angeles fashion scene. She found that the tough and cut-throat LA industry rubbed off on her.  Allison saw herself being a person she didn’t like and needed to find a way to come home to Hawaii and our authentic Aloha way of life.

Once back in Hawaii, Allison took another stab at a denim line and set her sights on getting her jeans in Nordstrom’s.  She begged the buyer every day until he relented. Her jeans where a big success.  The only problem was they were so good.  They were such high quality, women only bought one pair. She needed to branch out to create tops and accessories.

It was during this time that Allison founded the Cut Collective, an organization to help others start fashion related businesses, but eventually realized she was putting other people’s dreams in front of her own.  Over the last couple years Allison has been taking time to get to know herself again by getting back to the creative and solving problems side of the industry.  She is her first customer.  She wears every piece for at least a day to judge how it fits, how it moves.  She has to love the piece or it doesn’t get made for the public.

Allison seems to really love fashion and has found joy in creating and sharing her work. Her advice to us “be authentic”.  Listen and trust your inner voice.  Don’t quiet yourself because of fear.

Allison Izu is located at 1114 11th Avenue in Kaimuki.  Clothing is 100 percent made in Hawaii and they recently opened a family line, Olivia and Owen, named after her children.

Connie Mitchell, Executive Director IHS

Connie Mitchell, Executive Director at the Institute for Human Services (IHS) and Julie Arigo, OWL Past President.

Our November Speaker was Connie Mitchell, Executive Director at the Institute for Human Services (IHS). IHS is the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human services agency focused exclusively on ending and preventing homelessness in Hawaii.  Born and raised in Hawaii, Connie earned a BS and MSN in Nursing from UH.  Her diverse career included financial planning, pastoral work, teaching mental health nursing at UH and healthcare management.  In discussing her background, Connie shared that in 4th grade she was told she was “bossy” and should quiet down.  Fortunately, she did not and has used this as a strength to advocate for the homeless. 

 
Connie says she believes it is possible to end homelessness.  It is a very complex problem, but can be solved if we are all in this together and willing to help. The reasons for homelessness are varied: eviction, job loss, health issues, addiction, domestic violence, incarceration, etc.  The quicker the homeless can find housing, the quicker they recover.  There is not one solution that will fit all.  She described some of the programs that are working such as Housing ASAP through the Hawaii Community Foundation and Kahauiki Village a public/private partnership headed by Duane Kurisu.
 
Connie shared some terms with us:

 --  Chronic Homelessness - is defined by more than 1 year straight of homelessness or more  than 4 times homeless in a 3-year period
 --  Functional Zero - which means ending homelessness quickly for individuals and families, but  does not necessarily mean no homelessness.The good news is Family Homelessness is   on the decline.  The goal is to end family homelessness by December 2018.
 --  Goldilocks Philosophy – defined as providing the right amount of support to cultivate and  ensure sustained self-sufficiency so that families and individuals can avoid homelessness again.

Connie sees the solution as a coordinated systems approach including: coordinated entry, planning, collecting and examining local data and performance measurement and evaluation.  Today she sees lots of redundancy and feels there needs to be one database that is used by all services agencies to better share information.
 
One of the final slides Connie shared included a picture of Wonder Woman which is fitting for her.  On the slide were the leadership lessons she has learned as a woman fighting homelessness:

        --  Take BOLD action

        --  Advocate for those who can’t

        --  Call people to common values

        --  Fear less about what other people think

        --  Let love guide you

T.J. Joseph, Operations Manager, Honolulu Habitat for Humanity Operations Manager

T.J. Joseph, Operations Manager, Honolulu Habitat for Humanity Operations Manager. 

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity partners with families who cannot afford a traditional loan or mortgage to build their own home or repair an existing house. Each adult family member is required to help with the construction by contributing hours of "sweat equity". Habitat for Humanity also provides homeowner educational and financial services, on-site construction management and volunteer recruitment and management.

Each family follows a defined process involving an application, financial and homeowner education, financial review, family visits and site visits among other steps, to ensure the build and the home will be successful. Once a family moves into the home their mortgage payments go directly into a fund that enables Habitat for Humanity to build more houses for more families. 

TJ’s knowledge of the home building process comes first hand, as she, her husband and their four children were a Habitat for Humanity partner family building their own house on a Hawaiian Homelands lot in Waimanalo several years ago.

When TJ and her family were first starting their journey toward home ownership, she was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. After surgery and many months of chemo she was cancer-free but the battle had depleted their savings and they could no longer afford a traditional mortgage to build on their lot.

The Josephs along with five other families worked side by side with volunteers, community groups and Habitat for Humanity staff every Saturday for a year and a half to realize their dream of home ownership.

Though their children were too young to work on-site, TJ and her husband Levi involved them by discussing the values that were the foundation of their family. Values like honor, faith, love and humility. The children wrote down these values and placed one in each of the 24 footing that would support their home.

TJ shared her personal pillars that helped her on the path to home ownership and in her work today helping others.  Always learn. Lead by example. Pride - confidence tempered with humility. Reciprocate.

Habitat for Humanity is supported by grants, donations and proceeds from Restore - a retail store that accepts donation of construction materials and furniture for resale.  For more information visitwww.honoluluhabitat.org.

Janice Okubo, Communications Director Hawaii State Department of Health

Our July Speaker was Janice Okubo, Communications Director at the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH).  Her office handles the media relations and public information for all public health issues.  Janice has a fine arts degree from the University of Hawaii.  She says the background gave her two valuable lessons: 1) how to receive criticism and learn from it and 2) the value of process…learning the steps and being open to innovation.  Both of these lessons have helped her in her role at the DOH.

 
Janice’s presentation topic was medical marijuana and how the Department of Health worked to build a program for the coordination of patient registration, dispensary licensing and certification of testing labs in largely unknown and uncharted territory with no national guidelines. More than 17 years ago Act 228 was signed into law, allowing qualified patients to register with the state for the use of and ability to grow medical marijuana.  In 2015 the responsibility of oversight was transferred to the Department of Health.

 
DOH was not given any additional funding or staffing to oversee this program.  At the time, there were 11,000 registered patients all managed in a paper-based format.  The DOH has created a website to handle registration, information and certification. The number of registered patients has increased by more than 30% to over 17,000 registered patients.
 

Besides the oversight on patient registration, DOH now supports the dispensary-licensing program.  The DOH was tasked with screening over 66 applicants and selected 8 qualified dispensary licensees.  Other States have begun medical marijuana programs without lab testing requirements leading to some serious health issues.  The Hawaii DOH is working to certify labs to ensure safe product for qualified patients.
 
Janice closed her talk by recognizing four women she considers strong and brilliant leaders in public health who she feels fortunate to have worked with at DOH.  They are the past four directors of the department:

• Dr.  Chiyome Fukino
• Loretta Fuddy
• Dr. Linda Rosen
• Dr. Virginia Pressler, the current director

Major General Susan Davidson

Commanding General, 8th Theater Sustainment Command
by Mona Choy-Beddow

A wife, mother, grandmother, and Major General of the United States Army in command of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC), Susan Davidson stood proudly in her Army dress uniform bedecked with rows of ribbons signifying awards and decorations earned throughout her distinguished military career.  

She spoke humbly of her younger years growing up in St. Joe, Florida as the only daughter of six children in a prominent Orange Grove family.  She earned her chemistry degree from the New Mexico State University and upon graduation delayed her 5-year commitment to the Army for several months to help her father in his orchard farm.  When her initial Army commitment was complete, Susan thought she would return to the citrus business, but realized that she liked what she was doing in the Army. Susan never thought that she was going to make the Army her career, but like her five brothers, the military was inevitable.  As each sibling entered the service, they were commissioned by their father, a lieutenant colonel in the Florida National Guard. 

As MG Davidson described, the Army has taught her to “know your stuff”, tell your story” and “have fun”.   These themes she shared in the many examples of answering the call to duty and enjoying the camaraderie of her peers.  She has held various transportation support and logistic positions, including tours during operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

The ladies of OWL left the luncheon with a tremendous sense of pride.  As one of their own who has served our country to the best of her ability is now leading a major Army command of thousands of soldiers and a large geographic

Kristina Lockwood, General Manager KHON2

KHON2's general manager Kristina Lockwood's journey to the top started with the help of a woman she credits as one of her great mentors, longtime MidWeek executive Dianne Pereira.  Dianne gave Kristina her first big break, hiring her at 19 years old, as an account executive.   Kristina embraced the opportunity to take on a job she knew little about, and learned all that she could, as she pursued her new career.   It was the belief that Dianne had in Kristina that sticks with her today.  "Strong women lift each other up," she shared, "I was determined not to disappoint her."

Under the guidance of mentors such as Dianne, Rick Blangiardi (KGMB GM) and Wally Zimmerman (KHON GM), Kristina challenged herself to keep learning and growing in her roles in sales at KGMB, KITV and KHON.  During that time she also decided to go back to night school to earn her college degree, one of her proudest achievements.  She was already serving as general sales manager at KGMB when she took a position at Cox Media in San Diego, breaking into a new and much larger market.  Cox Media also provided excellent training and development opportunities that prepared her well for her role of general manager at KHON2.   She credits her rise to general manager at KHON to her natural curiosity, her positive attitude, her relationship building skills, and her choice to always surround herself with people that lift her up. 

At KHON2, Kristina knows that the competition in the broadcasting business is fierce.  A big challenge at KHON has been having three owners in four years.  With each ownership change, the station has been able to adapt and embrace what the new owners have to offer.  Her current focus has been to growing KHON's online and social media presence and developing a KHON app.  She also believes in serving the community and the advertisers by creating opportunities and long-term programming such as Living 808 and Sam Choy In the Kitchen. 

Kristina attributes the station's ratings success to the culture of "yes" that has developed at KHON.  She always works on building the morale, relationships and trust among her employees to make KHON not only a great place to work , but a station that truly serves Hawaii.

Deborah Zysman, Executive Director, Children's Action Fund

Deborah Zysman, Executive Director, Children's Action Fund

What We Heard
January 9, 2017

Calling all Superheroes

At our January luncheon we had the privilege of hearing from Deborah Zysman Executive Director of the Hawaii Children’s Action Network (HCAN). She shared with us the amazing work done by HCAN and from where she draws her motivation.  Hawaii Children's Action Network (HCAN) is an independent, nonpartisan children's policy and advocacy non-profit organization.  Its mission is to build a unified voice, educating & advocating for Hawaii's children.
 
Deborah's personal connection to caring for others comes from the strong women in her family.  One grandmother was a union organizer, the other a holocaust survivor. She comes from tough stock where fairness, justice and equity were issues discussed at the dinner table.
 
HCAN takes a long range view to mitigate poverty and inequity. They are focusing on investing in children, investing in the future. Child and family issues are not the “soft stuff”. Family issues have a significant impact on the health of our economy.  The future of our children is the future of our community. Investing in schools and child care now will build the workforce of the future.
 
“If we want to work on social justice we need to start with kids.”
 
Poverty and inequity play a key role in health and welfare of our keiki. There is a strong correlation between the developmental level of a child at age 5 and their probability of graduating from high school and college.
 
Deborah shared some startling statistics:

        --  15% of  Hawaii children live in extreme poverty
        --  51% of Hawaii keiki in public schools had no preschool
        --  90% of child’s brain develops by age 5, so early disparities mean kids playing catch up for the rest
                     of their lives.
 
Children who fail at school are less employable and less productive in our society. Investment in early childhood education and improved early screenings for sight, hearing and developmental issues will have long term benefits for the children and our community.
 
Opportunities to be a superhero for Hawaii’s keiki include volunteering your time and talents, becoming a sponsor (donations welcome) becoming an advocate who communicates with policy makers, write letters and lobbies for our children. (www.hawaii-can.org).