"Let
us devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political
will to achieving gender equality around the world. There is no greater
investment in our common future."
— Former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
International Women's Day
March 8, 2017
BE BOLD FOR CHANGE
Take groundbreaking action
that truly drives the greatest change for women.
Each of us - with men and women joining forces - can be a
leader within our own spheres of influence and take bold pragmatic
action to accelerate gender parity. We can collectively help women
advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the
world over.
March 13 Luncheon
Kristina Lockwood
President and General Manager
KHON2
OWL is excited
to present Kristina Lockwood as our guest speaker at our March 13th
luncheon. Kristina was named President and General Manager of
KHON2, the Fox Affiliate and the CW Affiliate located in Honolulu,
Hawaii in February 2013. For the last 4 years, she has helped grow
KHON2’s audience both on-air and on-line. Under her leadership,
KHON2 launched the #1 “KHON2 News at 9”, the #1 daily lifestyle show,
“Living808”, and numerous local specials including “Sam Choy, In the
Kitchen”, which airs Sundays at 630pm. KHON2 also has been
recognized with many industry awards including the prestigious Edward R.
Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in 2015.
Before being named General Manager of KHON2, Kristina served as Director
of Sales for Cox Media in Southern California and worked in Hawaii as
General Sales Manager for KGMB, the CBS Affiliate. She also held
leadership roles at KHON and KITV.
Kristina is a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University. She was
recognized as an Industry Leader from Pacific Business News in the 2016
Women Who Mean Business Annual Awards ceremony. She serves on the Board
for the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters, the Hawaii Make-A Wish
Foundation, and the Hawaii Chapter of the American Red Cross.
MARCH 13 MEETING
Pacific Club 1451 Queen Emma St.
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
RSVP due by noon on Wednesday, March 8th at OrgOfWomenLeaders@gmail.com
Check payable to OWL for $45 for each guest.
℅ Cynthia Takenaka
516 Kawaihae St. #E
Honolulu, HI 96825-1240
President Julie Arigo invites all new
members and interested current members to join her before the meeting at
11:15 a.m. for an informal meet and greet, as well as short discussion
of the mission of OWL.
Please don't miss this great opportunity to learn more about OWL and get
answers to any questions you may have about our organization.
President's Message
Julie Arigo
Happy Women's History Month!
March is the month in which we celebrate and
honor women from around the world. This year, International Women's Day
was celebrated on March 8. It is a global day celebrating the
social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This day
also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
OWL has always been very supportive of causes that seek to recognize
outstanding women and to support opportunities that allow for this.
This year OWL supported The Women's Legislative Caucus breakfast again,
hosted by the YWCA, held on January 26, 2017. Several of our
members participated as volunteers and attendees of this event.
Thank you to Barbra Pleadwell, Tracie Young, Libby Lee-Hobbs, and
Pamela Harms for getting up bright and early to help with the
registration desk and to welcome all participants. It was also great to
see a nice representation of OWL members that day, including Kathy
Perkins and Jennifer Grems, who demonstrated great leadership for young
women by bringing 86 of their students from St Andrews Priory to be a
part of such an inspiring day!
Admittedly,
it was my very first time to get involved and for sure, will not be my
last! The panel of outstanding women representatives at our Legislature
addressed the twelve (12) bills (all in some way affecting women)
selected from the hundreds they had to choose from to develop what is
called the "Women's Legislative Caucus Package", bills being prioritized
going into our legislative session. Each panelist stated specific bills
within the package they felt strongly about, provided information on
the bill(s), and gave great personal testimonials to help us understand
the reason for the stance being taken by the caucus - in support or
opposed. It was definitely an educational experience and for some,
eye-opening!!
Besides advocating for women's rights and supporting causes that affect
women and our community, OWL also provides great networking venues other
than our regular luncheon meetings. Please "SAVE THE
DATE"....April 27, 2017, 5:30-7:30pm...for our Spring OWL Membership
Drive & Mixer at Ruth's Chris Restaurant Row. We are pleased to have OWL member and Past President, Barbra Pleadwell, provide us with an educational workshop you won't want to miss!
Lastly, members of our OWL board and myself would like to extend our "CONGRATULATIONS!"
to Dr. Elizabeth Elliott, for her contributions to OWL as she steps off
the board to expand her practice to the West Coast! Although quite busy,
Dr. Elliott will continue her OWL membership. We wish her much success!
"We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic,
reshape the conversation, to make sure women's voices are heard and
heeded, not overlooked and ignored." —Sheryl Sandberg
Hope to see you all at our Spring Mixer!
-- Julie
JOIN OUR OWL SPRING MIXER! Thursday, April 27
5:30 - 7:30pm
RUTH'S CHRIS (Waterfront Plaza)
Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii
The
OWL Board invites all OWL members and their guests to join us for our
OWL Spring Mixer. We also would like to give a big THANK YOU to
our sponsor for this event: Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii.
Cost: $25 if paid by April 13th and $35 thereafter.
Heavy pupus, no-host cocktails. Please make your check
payable to OWL Hawaii and mail to OWL (516 Kawaihae St #E Honolulu, HI
96825).
The Spring Mixer will feature our popular OWL RAFFLE! For OWL
members wishing to donate items to our Raffle, please contact board
member Tracie Young at tmidori22@gmail.com.
Spring Mixer Feature Presentation by OWL Member Barbra Pleadwell
5:30 - 6:00pm
Hoot Your Own Horn: Writing a Bio and Taking a Professional Photo
Our
Spring Mixer will open with a quick talk by Barbra Pleadwell
on how to write an interesting and professional bio, and take a
quality business photo. As a bonus, Barbra will provide a handout with
guidelines for both.
Barbra cofounded
Hastings & Pleadwell in 1996, a boutique public relations firm with
Honolulu and Hilo offices. Barbra assists her clients, ranging from
private businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, on a
wide-variety of issues including management, crisis communication, brand
building and online reputation management.
Barbra is a past president of OWL and recent past board chair of the
YWCA Oahu. She helped launch the largest women’s volunteer organization
HerStory conference and worked with Hawaii Business Magazine to create and build Wahine Forum, Hawaii’s leading women’s business conference.
What We Heard
January 9, 2017
Deborah Zysman Executive Director, Children's Action Fund
Calling all Superheroes
--- By Laura Lott
From left: Julie Inouye, Deborah Zysman, Valerie Schmidt
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).
OWL Events - Women's Legislative Breakfast
OWL
again supported the YWCA's annual Women’s Legislative Caucus Breakfast
on Thursday, January 26th at the YWCA’s Fuller Hall. The
Hawaii Women's Legislative Caucus is a formal, bipartisan, and bicameral
caucus that each year introduces an official package of bills and
resolutions in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The
Caucus' legislative agenda focuses on women, children and families.
All women legislators are members. This year's caucus package is
dedicated to the Women's March on Washington.
This
well-attended breakfast event was organized to provide supporters with a
preview of the bills that will be proposed in the upcoming session.
These bills include access to quality healthcare, reducing violence
against women, economic opportunities for women, and children's health
and safety.
This event offers a unique opportunity to hear from our women
legislators and all those in attendance were inspired by their
dedication to Hawaii's women, children and families.
OWL ANNOUNCEMENTS
UH Mānoa TIM School
alumna, Dr. Roberta Wong Leung (1971), has been elected the 2017
president of the Associated Chinese University Women, Inc. (ACUW) and
the 2016–2017 president of the Honolulu Business and Professional Women
Association (HBPWA).
Founded in February 1931, ACUW strives to further the cultural, social
and intellectual welfare of its members and the community and to promote
and participate in worthwhile community projects which are non-profit
and non-commercial.
The goal of HBPWA is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace
through advocacy, education, and information. It was founded on December
13, 1921, and is celebrating its 95th anniversary.
Congratulations Roberta!
Women's Fund of Hawaii
Tea & Champagne Fundraiser
OWL Member's are invited to join the Women's Fund of Hawaii on May 15th for their Annual Tea and Champagne Fund Raiser!
The mission of the Women’s Fund of Hawaii is to support innovative,
grassroots programs that empower women and girls in Hawaii. Please
visit their website for more details at: http://womensfundhawaii.org
FEATURED NEW OWL MEMBERS
MELODY FUKUSHIMAis
an Executive Search Consultant with Inkinen & Associates.
Having a passion for people and helping them find their "dream jobs" is
what drives and fulfills her. With nearly 20 years of Human
Resources experience, Melody has found her calling in employee
relations, recruitment and organizational development. Prior to
joining Inkinen & Associates, Melody held the position of Executive
Team Leader, Team Relations for Target Corporation in Boulder,
Colorado. She was also the Director of Human Resources for
TeamPraxis, LLC and most recently the Director of Human Resources at
Roberts Hawaii Inc.
Melody
is married to her husband, Gene, who is VP of Business Development at
Pacific Shipyards Intl. They have 2 sons who keeps them very
busy. In her spare time, Melody enjoys volunteering with her
children’s school and sports teams, is active with the Parent Faculty
Association and enjoys traveling. Melody is also involved with the
Touch A Heart Hawaii non-profit program which provides vocational
training in food services to women in transition.
Melody
is excited to be a part of the OWL organization. She looks
forward to learning more about our community and meeting more of
Hawaii’s strong woman-leaders.
MARILYN VERNERis
the General Manager of The Imperial Hawaii Resort located in Waikiki
and has held this position since 2004. Marilyn was born and raised
on the North Shore of Oahu. Her first experience in the hotel industry
was in 1972 at the Kuilima Hotel, now known as Turtle Bay Resort in
Kahuku.
Marilyn left Hawaii in 1980 to seek additional knowledge and experience
in the hospitality industry. She worked in hotels, casino/hotels
and timeshare resorts in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Aruba and
Hawaii.
Marilyn returned to Hawaii in 1996 to work as Director of Resort
Operations for a timeshare & property management company on
Kauai. In 1999, she took a position as the Account Executive for
Resort Condominium International (“RCI”). RCI is a timeshare
exchange company. Her territory in included Hawaii, Tahiti and
Alaska.
OWL is excited to welcome these two accomplished ladies to our organization!
2017 Membership Renewal and Upcoming Luncheon Meeting Dates
March 13 - Pacific Club
May 8 - Pacific Club
July 10 - Pacific Club
September 11 - Pacific Club
November 6 - Halekulani Hotel
Annual dues for Jan. through Dec. 20167 is $260.
Membership luncheons are generally held on the second Monday of January,
March, May, July, September and November from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Meetings are usually held at the Pacific Club, but locations will
be confirmed prior to the meeting.
The
mission of OWL is to develop a network of contacts among women in
decision- making positions to promote effectiveness on the job and
professional advancement.
The goals and objectives of OWL shall be to establish a network of
contacts between the public and private sectors; to establish a
professional and interpersonal support system for women professionals;
to offer informational opportunities for women in management; to provide
career-related ideas and information; and to share job and career
advancement opportunities.
Announcements
We
love to hear from you! Because we know your time is valuable, OWL
President Julie Arigo will be reading the member announcements at our
luncheon along with her welcome message. Please email your news to Julie
at Julie.Arigo@waikikiparc.com.
You may also share your achievements or any newsworthy items with your
OWL sisters through our newsletter. Email your news along with a
photo to Pam Harms at pamela.m.harms@gmail.com.
Reminder
As
a courtesy to our speakers, guests and OWL members, please keep side
conversations to a minimum during the speaker presentation.
