piia aarma
YWCA Board Member

Piia Aarma has been developing and protecting image for the last 20 years.  A public relations and marketing expert, she has been involved in corporate communications, media relations, national level lobbying, marketing communications, website development, newspaper reporting, magazine writing and online communications.  Her experience includes media relations and lobbying for the National Association of Manufacturers, a major macroeconomic business group in Washington, DC and head of Corporate Communications for Bank of Hawaii for 10 years prior to becoming an entrepreneur.

Actively involved in community and professional organizations, she serves on the board of directors for the YWCA of O'ahu, Hawaii Society of Corporate Planners, as an advisory board member of University Connections, an appointed member of the Hawaii/Pacific Export Council and a member of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association and Hawaii Trade and Technology Association.  She is a trustee of La Pietra and a director of the YMCA-Atherton Brand and Mediation Center of the Pacific.

Pineapple Tweed

joanna amberger

Joanna Amberger is Chief Executive Officer for 3 Financial Group.  Joanna strives to create a space for women to participate in creating comprehensive lifetime financial plans that are focused on their unique desires and ambitions. Without sophisticated coordination and evaluation, all too often the search for financial security leads to the accumulation of a jumble of disconnected financial pieces that not only have no focus or purpose, but also are counter-productive.  Her mission is to bring these pieces together into a comprehensive, cohesive plan that is focused on what is truly important: your desires for yourself and those you love.

3 Financial Group

judy bishop

Judy Bishop is owner of Bishop & Company, (formerly known as CTA Staffing), and has been helping Hawaii residents and businesses since 1986.  Judy and her staff are continually striving to provide their applicants and temporary employees with valuable work experience while also sourcing outstanding talent for Hawaii's businesses and organizations. 

Judy has over thirty years of staffing experience. She has managed local, national and international offices on four continents. As a Franchise Owner, Regional Vice- President, Division Vice- President, National Sales Manager, and COO for Operations, she has an extensive background servicing major corporations over a broad spectrum of skill requirements. Judy is responsible for clients' complete satisfaction with the service provided and is fully involved in the day to day operation of Bishop & Company.

Bishop & Company

laurel boylen

Laurel Boylen is the Community Director for chi.mp. 

Laurel is the main hub between chi.mp operations and the chi.mp community and is the advocate for that community. Laurel handles forum platforms, community tools, statistical measures, user experience and responsible user policies. As part of the chi.mp management team, Laurel is responsible for building, growing and managing the chi.mp community, protecting the rights of our owners and analyzing feedback for product development and services improvement.

Laurel is an angel investor and adviser for two Silicon Alley startup ventures, has a Masters in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU, and is active in many organizations dedicated to the Open Web.
 
About chi.mp:
Chi.mp is a contact management and identity management platform which provides our owners with a free domain name and the tools necessary to manage and centralize their online identity.  With tiered privacy and a robust software platform, our owners are now in control of who sees what about them on the Web.  Chi.mp is dedicated to the principles of ownership, Data Portability, Open Social Web, Open Stack and Portable Contacts.

chi.mp

kaleialoha k. cadinha-pua'a
YWCA Board Member

Kaleialoha K. Cadinha-Pua`a is the President and COO of Cadinha & Co., LLC. In addition to her duties of managing the firm, she is a portfolio manager and a member of the Investment Committee at Cadinha & Co., LLC. Her research encompasses fixed-income fundamentals, as well as several sectors of the equity markets including consumer discretionary and staples. Cadinha-Pua’a also oversees the firm’s client services efforts and helps lead the firm’s Institutional Services Division.

Prior to re-joining the firm in 2007, Ms. Cadinha-Pua`a partnered with Neil Rose to start their own RIA firm called Cadinha-Pua`a & Rose, LLC which was merged with Cadinha & Co. in December of 2006. Ms. Cadinha-Pua`a is actively involved in the community and serves as the treasurer and finance committee chair for the Holy Nativity School Board and also serves as the treasurer and co-chair of the Finance Committee for the YWCA of Oahu. She is a director of Extreme Fitness Club, where she promotes healthy lifestyles for families in Hawaii. She consults with the government of American Samoa on workforce training initiatives and prepares grants for funding in key development areas.

Cadinha & Co.

meda chesney-lind
YWCA Board Member

Meda Chesney-Lind, Ph.D. is Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She has served as Vice President of the American Society of Criminology and president of the Western Society of Criminology.  At the same time that she authored outstanding research reports, academic journal articles and books on the treatment of youth and women in the criminal justice system, she worked tirelessly to correct the injustices and inequities that she studied in her research.

Her activism is tireless—she has published numerous newspaper articles, worked with community-based agencies and given talks to local organizations and legislators. Through these efforts, Chesney-Lind has become a leading advocate for humanitarian solutions to crime and criminal justice problems in the state.

Women's Studies University of Hawaii

roxanne darling

Roxanne Darling is well known in the social networking community.  Rox was recently named One of the 50 Most Influential Women in Social Media. She is host of the award-winning internet tv show Beach Walks with Rox, founder of the Hawaii chapter of the Social Media Club and was founder of Podcamp Hawaii, a free social web event that attracted over 400 people to the Hawaii Convention Center.  She was also one of 40 women in IT for "Do IT Around the World" - a book and 24-hour "day in the life of women in IT project. 

She co-owns Bare Feet Studios, which focuses on using technology smartly to build business; including strategic planning, internet technology consulting, online/offline business integration, database management, project management, business networking, and search engine optimization. Bare Feet Studios offers new media strategy and expert audio and video podcasting services and has been offering professional web services for over 11 years. 

Her expertise includes new media, blogging, podcasting, video podcasting. online business strategy, podcasting, web site development, web site marketing and SEO consulting, database management and project management.

www.BareFeetStudios.com
www.beachwalks.tv

kathryn inkinen

As President and Owner, Kathryn Inkinen created in 1992, and continues to build, a successful executive search and human resources consulting firm. Inkinen & Associates has provided executive search services to Hawaii businesses since 1992. Consultants are able to define and understand positions from an employer's point of view, fill vacancies with the firm's best interest in mind, and effectively support clients with their human resources matters.

Her professional foundation includes an extensive background in human resources management having held the top Human Resources positions for City Bank and the Kahala Hilton Hotel. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Kathryn also serves on the Boards of several community organizations, some of which include the Travel Industry Management Alumni Association at the University of Hawaii, the Better Business Bureau, UCERA, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross. She is a past inductee to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Alumni Hall of Honor, College of Business Administration.

Inkinen & Associates

harriet kirihara

Harriet Kirihara, Vice President of Human Resources for Communications Pacific, joined CommPac in 2004, and brought with her extensive experience in human resources, management and research. Since joining CommPac, she has expanded the human resources department to deliver a full range of services including recruitment, selection, retention initiatives, employee development and assessment, supervisory coaching, organizational development and strategic counsel. She also provides human resources consulting for CommPac clients. Harriet played an instrumental role in winning "Best Places to Work in Hawaii" (Hawaii Business magazine) and "Psychologically Healthy Workplace" (American Psychological Association) awards for Communications Pacific.

Before coming to CommPac, Harriet served 16 years as a workforce staffing and development consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company. There, her responsibilities included, among much else, succession planning, team-building, change management, employee development, training and labor law compliance. Previously she worked as a manager and international consultant for Psychometrics, Inc. of Sherman Oaks, California, and she served as a research statistician for the Hawaii state Department of Labor.

Harriet majored in psychology and graduated with distinction - having also been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa - from the University of Hawaii. After earning her master's degree in educational psychology, also from the University of Hawaii, she pursued self-directed studies at the graduate level in various human resource areas at Hawaii Pacific University.

A member of Society for Human Resource Management, Harriet has also belonged to the Personnel Testing Council and Executive Women International.

maile meyer
LeaderLuncheon Honoree 1999

For over 10 years, Maile Meyer she has worked long and hard to bring the rich history and culture of the islands to the public through various business enterprises.

A love of books and Hawaiian culture led her to establish Native Books Inc. in 1990, a book and video distribution company that initially operated at craft fairs and then opened as a retail outlet in Kalihi. Maile works closely with schools, institutions and libraries to select items that are well-written, culturally sensitive and historically accurate.

In 1995, Maile founded Native Books and Beautiful Things, a retail co-operative featuring books, music, art, crafts, food and clothing from 18 different producers, located in Downtown Honolulu. In 1998, she opened BookEnds, a retail book shop in Kailua.  While the ‘Native Books and Beautiful Things’ operation closed and BookEnds was sold, Maile reworked her business plan to create a new venture: Nâ Mea Hawai‘i, that opened in Downtown Honolulu during the Christmas season of 2002. In August of 2003, Maile moved the Native Books operations from Kalihi to Ward Warehouse, and combined it with a Nâ Mea Hawai‘i store to create ‘Native Books Nâ Mea Hawai‘i.’ Meyer sponsors free lectures, readings, art exhibits and musical programs.

Meyer is a graduate of Punahou School, holds a B.A. degree in Design from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Arts Management, from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She is a former account executive for Chiat/Dan in Los Angeles and marketing and sales manager for the Bishop Museum Press in Honolulu. She is a member of the State Commission on the Status of Women, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center Advisory Association, Hawai‘i Book Publisher’s Association, Mälama Hawai‘i, the Daughter’s of Hawai‘i and Hale Kû’ai Cooperative. Maile also sits on the Board of Directors for Hale Kû’ai.

Maile is a frequent guest speaker at many community events and lives in Kailua, O‘ahu with her husband and their two children.

Native Books Na Mea Hawaii

kelly a. mitchell

Kelly Mitchell is a 10 time local and national award-winning realtor with Prudential Locations and The Kelly Mitchell Group. She draws from 30 years of local Hawaii expertise and over 20 years of strategic marketing, business development and digital media.

Raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Orange County, California, she relocated to Hawaii in 1979. Kelly is a certified EcoBroker, a member of the Honolulu Board of Realtors (HBR), the Hawaii Association of Realtors (HAR), the National Association of Realtors (NAR) the Hawaii Kai Chamber of Commerce.  She serves on the Board of Directors of :  Learning for a Lifetime, and Locations Foundation. She is Board President of Learning for a Lifetime Foundation; an organization providing children and at risk youth with writing literacy skills, Chapter President - Living Green Chapter of BNI in Hawaii Kai, and Director of the Social Media Club of Hawaii. She has also been featured as a Hawaii real estate expert on HGTV’s “My House is Worth What?”.

Her background includes successfully launching successful & profitable-startup companies. As Chief Marketing Officer of Six D Studios, a digital media and internet market firm, she is credited with developing Six D's media production business through her digital marketing expertise.  She has consulted for firms including, American Savings Bank, Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, Ingersoll-Rand, Oceanic Time Warner, Diamond Head Theatre, Hawaii Public Television and Honolulu Academy of the Arts giving these companies a leading edge in the national market and on the Internet.  Ms. Mitchell secured a commercialization technology agreement with NASA resulting in development of commercially viable products using NASA's DC-Tune, a digital compression algorithm.  



Holding a B.B.A. in Marketing from Chaminade University of Honolulu, served as an adjunct Professor in Communications and Entrepreneurship, and is on the Board of Advisors to the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. 

Kelly Mitchell Inc.

rita j. shuford, ph.d.

President and Co-Founder of Turning Corners Group, LLC. Dr. Shuford received her Ph.D. and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon.  Dr. Shuford has been providing counseling and consultation services to businesses, individuals, families and groups for over 30 years. She is an accomplished life coach, trainer and public speaker. Dr. Shuford has served on many Boards throughout her professional career.  She is a respected member of the American Psychological Association and the Hawaii Psychological Association. During the past 10 years, she created and implemented a successful Trainer of Trainers program, for therapists desiring to teach and counsel from a perspective based on recognizing and drawing out the innate health and wisdom in people.  Dr. Shuford has facilitated "intensives" and retreats for individuals and couples.  Her other interests include reading, singing, hula and relaxing with 2 canines, 2 felines, her husband of 30 years and other family members and friends. 

Turning Corners Group, LLC

cari uesugi

Cari Uesugi is a life consultant, personal development speaker, and workshop facilitator. Her company, A Woman's Vision, is committed to creating a nurturing environment where clients can explore their potential, rejuvenate their spirit, develop their creativity, and strengthen their intuition. Her background includes a graduate degree in Counseling, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy. Currently, Cari is a Doctoral Candidate in Psychology with a concentration in Consciousness and Spirituality. 

Her professional experience includes consulting with individuals on a variety of issues including life transitions, career development, interpersonal relationships, self development, and creative expression. She also facilitates creative workshops where participants learn skills to create a natural balance in their daily lives, design a pathway towards fulfillment, communicate successfully with compassion, and nurture their creative self.  Cari's creative workshops are now being offered at The Queen's Medical Center Women's Health Center. She has also facilitated personal development workshops for the American Cancer Society, Hands on Healing, Bosom Buddies, and the Healing Arts Center.

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