100 years

Advancing Nonprofit Excellence
Ho‘okele Award

Full Color

The Ho‘okele Award pays tribute to leaders from the nonprofit sector – the guiding forces in our community who strive to make Hawai‘i a better place.

Named for the ho‘okele, or steersman, the award recognizes the significant role that a nonprofit leader plays in improving the quality of life for Hawai‘i’s people. The award provides recipients with the opportunity for personal renewal and professional development.

The Ho‘okele Award was made possible from 2002-2016 through a partnership between the Gerbode Foundation, led by then-president Tom Layton, and HCF, at the time led by CEO and president Kelvin Taketa. In 2017, HCF’s Board of Governors created the Kelvin Taketa Ho‘okele Leadership Award Fund in honor of Kelvin’s visionary leadership. The Fund ensures that the award will continue in perpetuity.

 

Congratulations to the 2024 Ho‘okele Award Recipients

Maude Cumming

Maude Cumming, Executive Director, Family Life Center

Cumming has led Family Life Center since 1994, serving residents on Maui, Moloka‘i, and Kaua‘i.

Family Life Center strives to stabilize the lives of people in times of need by connecting them to social services such as homeless outreach, emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, rental assistance and more. Under her stewardship, Family Life Center has achieved remarkable milestones, including the successful management of emergency shelters across multiple islands and pioneering the housing-first approach with over 80-percent permanent housing placement rates. Most recently, Cumming has been instrumental in leading Family Hope Center and multiple partner organizations working to construct ‘Ohana Hope Village, an 88-home interim housing community for survivors displaced by the Maui wildfires, which today houses around 50 individuals. Cumming’s profound connection to the community, built over decades of service, embodies the spirit of ʻohana, where every individual is seen, heard, and empowered to achieve lasting change.
flcmaui.org

Janice Ikeda

Janice Ikeda, Founding Executive Director, Vibrant Hawai‘i

With a focus on resilience, Vibrant Hawai‘i, under Ikeda’s leadership, has become a community- building organization advancing equity and agency for all Hawai‘i Island residents. The organization supports community transformation by facilitating cross-sector collaboration, serving as a conduit for information and resources, and supporting action teams with data collection and reporting. Together with industry experts and community champions, Vibrant Hawai‘i identifies and measures what matters to residents, develops strategies and solutions that are actionable and relevant, and invests in holistic wealth and resilience for a vibrant Hawai‘i. The result is a comprehensive community-driven collective-action network that genuinely represents the unique needs, goals, and culture of Hawaiʻi Island’s residents. Ikeda is actively involved with the Punawai o Pu‘uhonua Advisory Board, Aspen CSG’s Rural Action Roundtable on Equity, the ALICE Research Advisory Committee, and The Prosperity Agenda’s board.
vibranthawaii.org

Kūhiō Lewis

Kūhiō Lewis, CEO, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA)

Since assuming leadership of CNHA in 2018, Lewis has been instrumental in driving CNHA’s impressive growth advancing the culture, economic, political and community development of Native Hawaiians. The organization has emerged as a leading advocate for policy issues and has become a significant political influence in both Hawai‘i and Washington, D.C. In the year following the Maui wildfires, Lewis has played a leading role in Maui’s recovery by leading CNHA to support workforce development training, housing support, and case management. He helped stand up the Kāko‘o Maui Fund, a donation campaign to aid communities impacted by the Maui wildfires that has donated $5 million to the Maui Interim Housing Plan. He has also helped create the CNHA Host Housing Program, providing $1.9 million to 169 households who welcomed individuals and families displaced by the fires into their homes.
hawaiiancouncil.org

Kelly Maluo-Pearson

Kelly Maluo-Pearson, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Maui (BGCM)

Maluo-Pearson has served the Boys & Girls Club of Maui for more than 27 years, first as director of operations before being named CEO in 2014. BGCM’s mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those in most need, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. After the Maui wildfires, in response to the immediate needs of Lahaina club members and other youth in West Side communities, Kelly acted swiftly and effectively. She mobilized resources to reach affected areas even when roads were closed and basic necessities like shelter, food, water, and clothing were in critical shortage. Her prompt actions ensured that essential care was provided during a time of great uncertainty. Kelly’s dedication to BGCM’s mission has been evident throughout her career. As a long-time member of local youth coalitions, she has excelled as a coach, created a scholarship fundraising event, and tapped into her national Boys and Girls Club connections to bring national resources to Maui. Her efforts ensure that Maui’s youth benefit from a wealth of knowledge and support extending beyond local boundaries.
bgcmaui.org

 

Ho‘okele Award Recipients

2023

Līpoa Rae Kahaleuahi
Executive Director
Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke (MKHKI)

Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui
President and CEO
Kohala Center

Ryan Kusumoto
President and CEO
Parents And Children Together (PACT)

Mary Frances Oneha
CEO
Waimānalo Health Center

2022

Chad Cabral
CEO
Boys & Girls Club
of the Big Island

Jocelyn Howard
CEO
We Are Oceania (WAO)

Micky Huihui
Executive Director
Hawai‘i’s People’s Fund

Richard Yust
Executive Director
Maui Food Bank

2021

Kristin Frost Albrecht
Executive Director
The Food Basket Inc.

*Twinkle Borge
Leader
Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae

Jeffrey Gilbreath
Executive Director
Hawaiian Community Assets

Sandy Ma
Executive Director
Common Cause Hawai‘i

Darryl J. Vincent
Chief Operating Officer
United States Veteran Initiative

2019

Brandee Menino
CEO
HOPE Services Hawai‘i, Inc.
Hawai‘i

Jessica Yamauchi
Executive Director
Hawai‘i Public Health Institute
Statewide

Deborah Zysman
Executive Director
Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network
Statewide

2018

Jan M. Harada
President & CEO
Helping Hands Hawai‘i
Statewide

Angela Hi‘ilei Kawelo
Executive Director
Paepae o He‘eia
O‘ahu

Susan Maddox
Executive Team Leader
Friends of the Future
Hawai‘i

Randy Wong
President
Hawai‘i Youth Symphony
O‘ahu

2017

Kevin Chang
Executive Director
Kua‘āina ‘Ulu ‘Auamo
O‘ahu

Brenda S. Ho
Chief Executive Officer
Hospice of Hilo
Hawai‘i

Heather Lusk
Executive Director
Community Health Outreach
Work (CHOW) Project, Hawai‘i
O‘ahu

Pauline M. Sato
Executive & Program Director
Mālama Learning Center
O‘ahu

2016

William Akutagawa
Executive Director
Nā Puuwai
Moloka‘i

John and Julianna Leong
CEO
KUPU
O‘ahu

Christine Richardson
Executive Director
North Kohala Community Resource Ctr.
Hawai‘i

Paul Singer
Head of School
Assets School
O‘ahu

2015

Kepā Maly
Executive Director
Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center
Lāna‘i

Richard Taaffe
CEO
West Hawaii Community
Health Center
Hawai‘i

Marian E. Tsuji
President & CEO
Lanakila Pacific
O‘ahu

Harry Wong III
Artistic Director
Kumu Kahua Theatre
O‘ahu

2014

Suzanne Case
Executive Director
The Nature Conservancy
Statewide

Howard Garval
President & CEO
Child and Family Service
Statewide

Nanci Kreidman
Chief Executive Officer
Domestic Violence Action Center
Statewide

Nola Nahulu
Executive & Artistic Director
Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus
O‘ahu

2013

Nancy Aleck
Executive Director
Hawai‘i Peoples Fund
Statewide

Nalani Fujimori Kaina
Executive Director
Legal Aid Society Hawai‘i
Statewide

Carol Kouchi Yotsuda
Executive Director
The Garden Island Arts Council
Kaua‘i

Kenneth Zeri
President & CPO
Hospice Hawai‘i
O‘ahu

2012

Jud Cunningham
CEO
Aloha House, Inc.
Maui

David Fuertes
Executive Director
Ka Hana No’eau
Hawai‘i

Connie Mitchell
Executive Director
The Institute of Human Services
O‘ahu

*Marjorie Ziegler
Executive Director
Conservation Council for Hawaii
Statewide

2011

Lea Hong
Hawaiian Islands Program Director
The Trust for Public Land
Statewide

Tony Krieg
Chief Executive Officer
Hale Makua Health Services
Maui

Robert G. Peters
Head of School
Hanahau‘oli School
O‘ahu

Leslie Wilcox
President & CEO
PBS Hawaii
Statewide

2010

Selena Ching
Executive Director
Hawaii Youth Symphony Assoc
O‘ahu

Patricia Tummons
Editor
Environment Hawaii
Statewide

Jeanne Skog
President & CEO
Maui Economic Development Board
Maui

Gregory Dunn
Executive Director
Hawaii Nature Center
O‘ahu

2009

Stacey Sproat
Executive Director
Waipa Foundation
Kaua‘i

Matthews Hamabata
Executive Director
The Kohala Center
Hawai‘i

Drew Astolfi
Executive Director
Faith action for Community Equity
O‘ahu, Maui

Laura Robertson
President & CEO
Goodwill Industries
Statewide

2008

David Derauf
Executive Director
Kokua Kalihi Valley
O‘ahu

Marilyn Cristofori
CEO
Hawaii Arts Alliance
Statewide

Ku Kahakalau
Co-founder/Director
Na Lei Na’auao
Statewide

Chipper Wichman
CEO
National Tropical Botanical Garden
Kaua‘i

2007

Dale Bonar
Executive Director
Maui Coastal Land Trust
Maui

Gary Forth &
Kukui Maunakea-Forth
Wai‘anae Community Directors
Re-development Corp.
O‘ahu

Michael Gleason
President & CEO
The Arc of Hilo
Hawai‘i

*Rose Nakamura
Director
Project Dana, Mo‘ili‘ili
Hongwanji Mission
O‘ahu

2006

Christina Cox
Executive Director
KCAA Preschools
O‘ahu

Roy Katsuda
Executive Director
Hale Mahaolu
Maui

Wally Lau
Executive Director
Neighborhood Place of Kona
Hawai‘i

Thein Tin Myaing
Executive Director
Pacific Gateway
O‘ahu

2005

Bob Agres
Executive Director
Hawaii Alliance of Community Based Economic Development
O‘ahu

Vanessa Chong
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union
O‘ahu

Janice Kalanihuia
Director Molokai
General Hospital
Moloka‘i

Darrell Lum
Editor
Bamboo Ridge Press
O‘ahu

2004

Carol Ignacio
Director
Office of Social Ministry
Hawaii

Robert Witt
Executive Director
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
O‘ahu

Lynn Maunakea
Executive Director
Institute of Human Services
O‘ahu

Patricia McManaman
CEO
Na Loio – Immigrant Rights
Oahu

2003

Hardy Spoehr
Executive Director
Papa Ola Lokahi
O‘ahu

*Marsha Erickson
Executive Director
Hui O Laka - Koke‘e Natural History Museum
Kaua‘i

Puni Kekauoha
Papakolea Community
Development Corporation
O‘ahu

*Walt Dulaney
Executive Director
Alliance for Drama Education
O‘ahu

George Kon
Managing Director
Alliance for Drama Education
O‘ahu

2002

Andrew Aoki
College Connections Hawaii
O‘ahu

David Nakada
Executive Director
Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii
O‘ahu

Eric Enos
Program Director
Ka‘ala Farms, Inc.
O‘ahu

Jo-Ann Ridao
Lokahi Pacific, Inc.
Maui

*deceased