Every day across the Islands, women step into roles where the stakes could not be higher. Their jobs are difficult, stressful and sometimes dangerous but Hawai‘i depends on them to step up when lives are on the line. From emergency response and providing critical healthcare to social services and advocating for the humane treatment of animals, these women embody excellence in service to others. We tell their stories and honor their courage, resilience and compassion.

Dr. Lois Chiu

CHIEF OF NEONATOLOGY AT KAISER PERMANENTE MOANALUA MEDICAL CENTER

Dr. Lois Chiu emigrated from Hong Kong to New York City with her family when she was 9. She recalls her parents frequently reminding her and her brother about the stakes. “We came here, we didn’t speak the language, we didn’t have much money and we kind of risked it all to come here,” Chiu says. And she remembers her parents telling them: “You need to do something to make a better life for yourselves.”

When it came to careers, Chiu says her parents would approve of them being doctors, lawyers or businesspeople, and nothing else. “My brother chose business, and I chose medicine.”

While attending medical school in Syracuse, New York, she was encouraged to do a one-month “away rotation,” which enabled her to focus on a specific specialty at an outside hospital. She’d already decided she wanted to work in pediatrics and was initially interested in an allergy and immunology subspecialty.

When she applied for an allergy and immunology rotation at Columbia University, she says the only thing that was available was an NICU rotation. “I just wanted to go to New York [City], so I took it and ended up really loving it,” Chiu says of her time in a neonatal intensive care unit.

After completing a neonatology fellowship in 2009, she moved to Oʻahu with her husband to be closer to his family and began working at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center.

NICUs are where neonatologists like Chiu care for babies born prematurely or with other health problems. The Moanalua Medical Center’s NICU has 18 beds and she says they care for an average of 14 to 15 patients at a time. According to Chiu, most of her patients are “preemies,” sometimes born as early as 22 weeks. The full gestation period is 40 weeks, so babies that premature are “barely halfway cooked when they’re born.”

Parents of premature babies are often fearful and anxious, Chiu says.

“When people imagine a baby, they imagine this big, fat baby crying. But when you’re born at 23 weeks, you’re not crying, you’re definitely not fat and your skin is so transparent.”

Their care needs are unlike those of a full-term baby. For example, “If you talk to a pediatrician, when they say they’re starting feedings on a baby, they’ll say, ‘Start with 1 ounce, 2 ounces.'” Whereas with premature babies, Chiu says, “We’re talking milliliters. Like 1 mL, 2 mL.”

The criterion for discharge isn’t based on age or weight, she says, but on a baby’s medical stability and a skills-based assessment: “In order to go home, you have to be kind of like a term baby. So you’ll have to be able to breathe on your own. You have to be able to eat on your own.”

As a neonatologist, supporting and educating parents is just as important as caring for her patients. “Many parents will tell you they’re afraid to touch their own baby because they don’t know if it’s gonna hurt them,” Chiu says, but it’s her job to make sure the parents learn how to tend to their little ones while they’re in the NICU, which makes the transition home easier.

“Family-centered care is a part of our philosophy, so parents are participating,” she says. That includes having them feed their babies, change their diapers and provide input on “what they think would make the baby get better faster.”

Because the state’s only NICU facilities are on Oʻahu, families from the Neighbor Islands face additional challenges.

“When those babies are transported here, they can stay four or five months, even longer. What happens to the mom and dad? Do they come here? If they come here, where do they stay? Many of them do not have families [on Oʻahu]. Or even if they have families here, they can’t ask the family, ‘Can I live with you for the next four months?’ So they’re often displaced,” Chiu explains.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is an international nonprofit that helps families in such precarious situations. It has two “beautiful houses” in Mānoa Valley for families to stay for free as long as needed.

Chiu has served on the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ local board for the past five years and she just finished two years as board chair.

“This charity has been very meaningful to be part of. … They provide food, like the refrigerator is always stocked with something. They have activities for the family. They have a shuttle that brings the families to the hospital and back. So it’s a very convenient and wonderful service for families who are with kids in the hospital.”

Chelsea Kahalepauole-Bizik

OCEAN SAFETY LIEUTENANT FOR O‘AHU’S DISTRICT 2, WHICH RUNS FROM MOANALUA BAY TO KĀNE‘OHE BAY

Chelsea Kahalepauole-Bizik’s life has always revolved around the ocean.

Long before becoming the Honolulu Ocean Safety’s first wahine lifeguard lieutenant, the Kailua native recalls going out on her father’s boat: “I was 5 years old [riding] on his back while he was diving for tako in Kāneʻohe Bay. I thought it was so cool, catching tako to make squid luau.”

Around the same age, she says, she “learned how to surf at Castle Point, which is on the far left side of Kailua Bay.” And at 11, she fell in love with paddling. When interviewed, Kahalepauole-Bizik, now 34, was training to compete in her 10th Na Wahine O Ke Kai, a 41-mile outrigger canoe race from Molokaʻi to Oʻahu.

Her lifeguarding career started at a hotel pool when she was 18, where she learned the job’s fundamentals. She says that initial experience helped her develop “the eye for children in trouble” and recognizing what lifeguards call “climbing the invisible ladder,” because contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, a drowning person is rarely yelling for help or making large splashes. Instead, they often silently struggle to breathe and keep their head above water, which usually looks like them trying to grab onto a ladder that’s not there.

After joining the city’s Ocean Safety team in 2011, Kahalepauole-Bizik was assigned to District 2, which includes Moanalua Bay to Kāneʻohe Bay. She says the Windward Side was “a great place to start” because “it’s such a mix of different types of beaches.”

One challenge is Hanauma Bay, where “at any given time, about 200 people are in the water, face down,” so lifeguards must learn how to identify someone who’s lost consciousness among a sea of snorkelers: “One of the telltale signs is the top of the snorkel is in the water. You count how long the snorkel has been in the water; 15 seconds, then you’re like, ‘OK, that person needs help.'”

Meanwhile, down the highway is Sandy’s, a popular surfing, bodysurfing and bodyboarding spot that has a powerful shore break notorious for breaking bones. “So, you’ve got back injuries, neck injuries at Sandy Beach and Makapuʻu, and then you’ve got CPR cases at Hanauma Bay, Kailua and Waimānalo. You have a mix of all of it.”

Kahalepauole-Bizik also spent time in dispatch, where she acquired other skills: “I feel like dispatch was a really good place for me to learn how to be a supervisor, because you listen in on all these different calls and how the other supervisors handle them, and it’s all just scenarios, right? You start to look at things as a scenario. … Then you understand what information is needed to pass along to the other departments, like HFD and EMS and the Coast Guard.”

When four Honolulu Ocean Safety Lieutenant positions opened in 2023, Kahalepauole-Bizik applied and interviewed for the job alongside 20 to 30 other lifeguards.

“I was hoping I did well, but you never know,” she says. “I got a phone call and the chief told me, ‘We’d like to offer you the position. You scored third highest out of four, so the position that’s still open is in District 2.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s where I’m from,’ and I kind of teared up a little.”

As a lieutenant, Kahalepauole-Bizik serves as both a mobile responder to calls at unguarded spots within her district, including China Walls and Spitting Caves, as well as a supervisor during rescues at guarded beaches.

“If there’s only one guy, then of course, you’re jumping in to help and assist. … You’re making sure the communication is getting out there and that backups are coming for your tower guards, making sure your tower guards have all the equipment that’s needed. And then, after the scenario is finished, replenishing their equipment, getting their statements of what happened and making sure that they’re OK.”

What advice does she have for other women interested in Ocean Safety? “Probably just what I got said to me, which is just stay true to yourself, share your aloha and give everything you got. When you don’t have any more to give, give some more. That’s one thing females are good at – giving their all and giving their aloha.”

Yna Zimmerman

PRIMARY CARE NURSE AT KAISER PERMANENTE KONA MEDICAL OFFICE

Yna Zimmerman, R.N., is on a mission to make quality healthcare more accessible in Kona.

With 17 years of nursing experience in Northern California, she joined the Kaiser Permanente Kona Medical Office in 2022 and quickly identified a significant limitation in their Nurse Treatment Center’s triage.

“If a patient comes in with, let’s say, chest pain, which is the common one, our options were limited to just [making] future appointments or ‘I’ll call an ambulance for you,'” she says. “Now, we try our best to accommodate that patient without an appointment.”

Zimmerman and her fellow nurses are now able to ask a supervising provider to order an EKG so they “can rule out if it’s real chest pain or just heartburn,” she says, which saves the patient the scary experience of being redirected to the ER but unsure if they’re having a heart attack.

“Even though it says we don’t have emergency services here in Kaiser Kona, they still trust us to take care of them, so that’s why we try our best.”

The Nurse Treatment Center has expanded its capabilities in other ways under Zimmerman’s leadership, including offering more kinds of pulmonary testing and placing Holter monitors that record patients’ heart rhythms. “So instead of the patient flying to Oʻahu to do that, the patient will be coming to our clinic,” she says, which saves them time, money and hassle.

Continuing to expand services offered to patients in Kona is top priority for Zimmerman. “I believe all nurses have the same mission: to save lives. But with limited resources, we cannot do much. I’m hoping for this clinic to expand so we can provide more care for our patients. … That’s my opinion, and that is my passion, and I really want to help. I even told them that I’m willing to work 12 hours if you open an urgent care, so let’s just get it started.”

Although her team is not yet able to insert a PICC line – a long catheter inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the arm, for long-term intravenous treatment – the nurses at Kona Medical Office are now able to assist patients with PICC line dressing changes and teach them how to care for their PICC line at home.

Indeed, Zimmerman says education is an important part of her job: “It’s a privilege for me to educate my patient, whether it is an insulin teach or glucometer teach or even just a simple antibiotic self-administration teach. I feel like I give them comfort when I sit down with them and give them instructions in the easiest way possible that they can follow. They appreciate that a lot, and I don’t let them go until they feel comfortable doing so.”

Zimmerman attributes her aptitude for nursing to being from a family of caregivers. “My sister is an OBGYN doctor and my aunties are all nurses. … So it kind of inspired me to do nursing and provide care for people in the community, but especially the unfortunate ones. I guess it’s in my blood,” she says.

Though they may not have as many resources as facilities on Oʻahu, Zimmerman says, she finds strength in her colleagues, who have become like a second family. “We are like a big family, so we support each other,” she says, citing a work culture where potlucks are a frequent and beloved tradition. “Even when we don’t have any reason for potluck, everybody brings food, so it makes my heart happy.”

Kapua Chang

RESCUE WATERCRAFT OPERATOR

Honolulu City and County Ocean Safety employs about 300 lifeguards, but only a dozen or so are women. Among them, Kapua Chang holds the distinction of being Oʻahu’s first and only woman rescue watercraft operator.

“From the moment I got into recruit class as a lifeguard, I remember seeing the boys out on the jet ski and being like, ‘Wow, that’s the job that I want to do,'” she says.

After becoming an ocean safety officer in 2021, Chang immediately started training for the additional certification. She says she continued building her skills as a water woman by following the advice of veteran guard Tau Hannemann: “Get in the water every day, whether it’s a train or it’s a surf or to explore your zone … and be confident in wherever you are.”

This dedication was put to the test when she enrolled in Ocean Safety’s seven-week intensive rescue watercraft program in 2024. “At the very beginning, my head instructor, Ian Forester, told me in front of everybody, ‘Kapua, congratulations for being the first female. But just because you’re female, we’re not gonna take it any easier on you.'”

Chang says she wouldn’t want it any other way “because then the guys in the tower would say, ‘Kapua had it easy, you know, she had special treatment.’ Absolutely not.”

Trainees must pass several tests to become certified rescue watercraft operators. “The first is a written assessment,” says Chang, who explains the course has five required reading materials. “There’s about 50 questions, about 10 questions from each manual, and you have to pass with an 80% or higher.”

After passing the written exam, trainees face a physical assessment that requires them to expertly operate a jet ski in 25-foot surf on the North Shore, as measured by the Hawaiian scale. (The face of such a wave would be about 50 feet.) That means knowing how to harness the power of adrenaline without letting it take over.

“There was so much adrenaline running through that class,” she says, it’s imperative to know how to “scale it back and rest your mind from spiraling out.”

Trainees also take turns playing the roles of patient and crewman while simulating rescues in massive surf. In hazardous conditions, “you have to be on it. Every detail, every move, is very critical, because not only your life is in danger, but also the crewman that you’re working with, the patient that you’re working with. So you have to be on your best game, top tier.”

Chang was one of four graduates that completed the program in December 2024. Because she’s “at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of seniority,” she still works primarily as a tower guard. Nevertheless, she’s eager to take every chance she gets to be on the watercraft. “If I can get a day on the ski,” she says, “I’m absolutely excited. I’m stoked.”

The two positions work hand-in-hand to protect people both close to shore and further out to sea: “The jet ski is considered the tip of the spear of Ocean Safety,” she says. “When you’re on the ski, you’re moving and assessing situations quickly but thoroughly to help whoever’s out a mile away or several miles away from the tower.”

Four years into her lifeguarding career, the Lāʻie native has already worked in four out of the Island’s five districts, with only the Leeward Side to go.

Although her natural inclination is to stay low-key, Chang says she now feels it’s important to be more visible “to show wahine, hey, I did it. You can do it too. And I’m not going to be able to do that behind the scenes or behind the curtains.”

Dr. Linda Wong

TRANSPLANT SURGEON AT THE QUEEN’S MEDICAL CENTER

Growing up with two physician parents on Oʻahu sparked Dr. Linda Wong’s interest in medicine at an early age. She understood then that being in medicine “kept my parents busy all the time, so something must be going on that makes them want to stay at work so much and not come home.”

During her third year of medical school at U.C. Irvine, she did rotations in different departments to determine what she should specialize in.

“I liked surgery the best” because you’re “able to do something with your hands and get something accomplished, which is instant gratification. I think with [other forms of] medicine, you have to be a little bit more patient,” Wong says.

When it came time to choose a fellowship, she leaned toward pediatric surgery but was dissuaded by the extra years of training required by that sub-specialty. Her father was a kidney transplant surgeon and although Wong wasn’t sure she wanted to follow in his footsteps, she chose a transplant fellowship in San Francisco. She admits she “went into it halfhearted,” but her sentiment changed after she took part in her first liver transplant.

“I saw this young woman who had some sort of autoimmune hepatitis, and she was about to die. She was in the ICU, and she had all sorts of tubes and breathing tubes. She was barely responsive. Her kidneys were not working, and she was probably a day from dying. … I went to another city and procured a liver, and I helped them put it back in. Surgery took like five or six hours, and the next day, she was up and awake, watching cartoons, and they took out all the breathing tubes and she was back to normal. It was that epiphany moment where you know that you’re going to do something that’s truly life altering.”

After completing her fellowship, she wanted to stay in California, but her dad pleaded for her to return home because the Islands lacked a liver transplant program. He said: “If you stay in California, the transplant surgeons are a dime a dozen. … They don’t need you like we need you.”

She says she asked for five more years, but he took matters into his own hands, calling one day to say, “I put your name on the stationery, and I put your name on the door, and I bought you a one-way ticket, so you’re going to come, and this is when you’re going to start.”

Her father, Dr. Livingston Wong, performed the state’s first kidney transplant in 1969, and she performed Hawaiʻi’s first liver transplant in 1993 at the same hospital, St. Francis Medical Center. Wong has since performed more than 400 liver transplants and now heads the state’s only liver transplant program, at The Queen’s Medical Center.

Beyond liver transplants, Wong less frequently performs other surgeries, including kidney transplants and removing cancerous sections of livers and pancreases.

“It’s a pretty intense thing,” Wong says of liver transplants. After taking the donated liver out of ice, “We basically have 45 to 60 minutes to sew it in, or the patient dies. So there’s a lot of tension, a lot of nervousness in the room, because you got to sew and you got to sew quickly. I can’t make mistakes. There’s no room for errors. It’s probably like being those Blue Angels pilots – a little error and, you know, plane blows up, right? It’s the same idea here.”

Wong explains how she manages the stress: “I exercise a lot. … A lot of cardio stuff, a little light weights, stretching. … It makes your resting heart rate a little lower. So when you get under stress, your heart rate will get faster, but it’s not going super crazy.”

Her other favorite way to decompress? “Baking cookies and mochi and other stuff. Being in the kitchen and making desserts, it’s kind of like operating, doing stuff with your hands, keeping them busy. You can be creative and make up stuff that you know didn’t exist before.”

Vinnesha Porter

CLINICAL DIRECTOR AT THE INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Having experienced generational homelessness for the first 12 years of her life, Vinnesha Porter says she knows what it’s like to live in abandoned homes, on the beach or with random folks until her parents returned from their “drug trips.”

Even after her grandparents adopted her and her siblings, she says “life wasn’t that much easier.” But rather than being defeated by her unstable upbringing, Porter gained a superpower: empathy.

“Because I knew what it was like to be in the dark and feeling alone, that was my drive to support and help people,” she says, which led to getting a job at the Institute for Human Services 15 years ago.

IHS is a local nonprofit that offers personalized support and solutions to people in crisis, including those struggling with homelessness, mental illness and addiction.

Porter admits to suffering culture shock when she started as a receptionist at the IHS men’s shelter but then developed “really cool friendships with people at the shelter that I otherwise probably wouldn’t [have] engaged with.”

About a year later, she was promoted to outreach, where the “majority of our job was just being on the streets, engaging with people and bringing them into the shelter.”

The licensed mental health counselor says she learned how to build a rapport with people by “not judging them, just meeting them where they’re at and making them feel like I’m not there to change their life. I’m there to give them the resources and the tools they need to make the decisions that they feel comfortable making.”

It’s different when someone faces psychosis and presents a danger to themselves or others. She says if “their drug use is extreme, or their mental health causes so much distress that they’re not even able to make decisions for themselves,” IHS has the right to take that individual to family court and request a petition.

Porter explains the petition is good for two years and if “you refuse psychiatric medications and intervention, at that point me and my staff are allowed to take you into the hospital by virtue of HPD and the sheriff’s department, and they have to take their psych meds.”

From Porter’s perspective, nobody deserves to be written off as a lost cause: “What I tell people is, these are your moms, your brothers, your sisters, your auntie who, for some reason, either genetically or through long term drug use or trauma, they are mentally just not stable, but that doesn’t make them less human. These are people who just need time, attention, love and care and the right resources.”

She now serves as IHS’ clinical director, focusing on providing extra resources and support to her staff. “I’m constantly looking at the … people coming into all of our programs, and I’m always working with leadership to develop more services, a better approach.”

Despite their best efforts, some people still succumb to their struggles. “But that doesn’t stop us,” Porter says.

She adds it’s imperative that she and her staff take care of themselves and decompress, because “vicarious trauma is very real,” and the heavy moments and emotional exhaustion that come with the job are balanced by a concerted effort to celebrate every win.

“My biggest pride is putting people in housing and visiting them later and seeing how truly happy they are and unified with their family. … That’s what keeps me coming back every day, is just looking at how people can turn their lives around with the right support.”

Melanie Keolanui

OPERATIONS BATALION CHIEF AT HAWAI‘I COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

After graduating from Hilo High School, Melanie Keolanui left her coastal hometown to play NCAA Division I volleyball at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Keolanui says moving from Hawaiʻi to America’s most landlocked state – so-called because it’s the only one where you have to cross at least three states or Canadian provinces to reach seawater – was “super scary,” but she was determined to compete at the highest collegiate level.

Sports are “something that’s made me who I am, being a part of a team and working towards a common goal,” she says, and it’s a mentality that “translates over to the Fire Department pretty easily.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Keolanui returned to Hilo and, a few years later, trained to become a firefighter EMT with the Hawaiʻi County Fire Department. When she joined in 2006, she was only the fourth woman to ever work for the department in its history, which dates to 1888.

A fire calls for them to be a “firefighter first and then a medic second,” she says, but most of their calls are about medical emergencies unrelated to fires.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field,” she says. “My dad had heart problems. He died when I was 16, so I grew up seeing him have issues with his health, and I always appreciated and looked up to the firefighters. They came to our house all the time.”

She says those formative experiences make her job more meaningful: “I have extra pride being the person who shows up to try to resolve whatever the issue is.”

Soon after becoming a firefighter EMT, she completed an extra year of training to become a paramedic. As a paramedic, “You’re pretty much in charge of the ambulance and patient care. You can give controlled medications. You can take over someone’s airway with intubation. … So you’re basically performing advanced life support,” she says.

Keolanui worked as a firefighter paramedic for nine years before being promoted to fire equipment operator in 2016. In that role, she drove the fire engine, operated the truck’s tools and managed the water supply at fires.

Three years later, she became a fire captain, which put her in charge of a station. “I was lucky enough to get Central [Fire Station] in Hilo as my first assignment, which is kind of rare to get assigned where you live right away.”

At the time of her interview, Keolanui was captain at Haihai Fire Station, where six people work under her per shift.

And as of Oct. 1, she will be the fire department’s first female operations battalion chief, marking the third consecutive position for which she’s the first woman.

The promotion carries a steep increase in responsibilities. “As the battalion chief, you’re in charge of half the island. So your subordinates are the fire captains at each of the stations,” she explains.

Keolanui leads the East Battalion, which oversees 10 fire stations stretching “from Kaʻū all the way to Honokaʻa.” That’s an area greater than 2,000 square miles, or more than three times the size of Oʻahu.

Over her two decades at the Hawaiʻi County Fire Department, she has received countless expressions of gratitude for her service, but she says one phone call stands out.

A woman who Keolanui helped back when she was a paramedic intern tracked her down: “She said, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you remember me. I got your name through, you know, the coconut wireless in Hilo. … Thirteen years ago, you were there in the hospital when I was in labor with my daughter. You left before she was born, but you started my IV. I always have a hard time getting IVs, but you got it on the first try. And you were just so caring and so nice. I’ve been trying to find you ever since.’

“She said she named her daughter Melanie. I’m like, ‘What?’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, I named my daughter after you. … I always liked that name, and then the way that you treated me that day, it just was like, yeah, I’m gonna name her that.’ So obviously, that’s an honor.”

Anna Neubauer

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HAWAIIAN HUMAN SOCIETY

From cleaning kennels at a veterinary hospital when she was 14 to her current role leading the Hawaiian Humane Society, Anna Neubauer says her career has been defined by a single question: Where can I have the greatest impact?

“I loved veterinary medicine,” she says, “but I saw that I could have more of an impact and help more people in our community, as well as help many, many more animals, if I went into the animal shelter side.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology and becoming a certified veterinary technician, Neubauer shifted her focus. With a friend, she co-founded a cat shelter and then a spay/neuter clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado. It’s a project she says she’s “really, really proud of.”

Her subsequent nine years working at a large Denver shelter, combined with a master’s degree in nonprofit management, gave her a holistic skill set.

“Every experience that I had, every educational opportunity I took, really built me up to do what I’m doing now. Sometimes your path isn’t a straight one … but you end up where you’re supposed to be.”

In 2019, Neubauer was recruited to be president and CEO at the Hawaiian Humane Society, where she now oversees 170 employees and 1,300 volunteers.

Under her leadership, the organization has made significant policy shifts by examining what they do as an organization and how they do it.

“We’re here for our community, we’re here for the animals that need us, but we’re not the best at everything,” she says. “We’re not, you know, wildlife rehabilitators and things like that.”

She says her team worked hard to change the public perception that the Hawaiian Humane Society is “all things and everything for animals.” Instead, “let’s get the animals to where they need to be initially.”

For example, wildlife is “very sensitive to handling, very sensitive to their environment … so what they need right away is getting them connected to the wildlife rehabilitators and the folks that are experts in that area.”

Another major shift was their approach to cats. “We can’t just take cats in and take cats in and take cats in because we only have so much space,” Neubauer says.

Now, they focus on a trap-neuter-release program to manage the stray cat populations. If a “cat comes in that’s injured or ill, we want to make sure that they’re doing well … so we’ll address that differently. But for those cats that are in stable environments, that have a community cat caretaker and are well managed in their space,” they’ll get returned to where they were found.

She says this change in strategy “has really allowed us to help save more animals.” It’s also helped to educate the community about the organization’s mission, she says, and in turn, the community helps “us do the work that we do.”

Ultimately, it’s the human-animal bond that inspires her most. While she loves many things about her job, the stories that “give me chicken skin” are the ones where her team helps people keep their animals.

Through their Pet Kōkua program, the Hawaiian Humane Society offers several resources for animals at risk of being surrendered, including a pet food bank that offers temporary assistance for owners who need food for their animals.

It also offers low or waived-fee microchipping, which became mandatory for pets over 4 months old in 2020, and sterilization services for pet owners on government assistance or experiencing homelessness.

“Sometimes their animal is all they have,” she says. “And to be able to help that, I think that’s really, really impactful for me.”

“Five years ago, everyone would have told you that’s the safest possible degree you can get, that it’s hot,” she says. “And of course, these folks are struggling.”

Watching her son enter a fast-changing labor force has reinforced her belief that higher education must go beyond preparing students for their first job. She argues it should equip them for a lifetime of profound change against the backdrop of AI and digital transformation, geopolitical volatility, climate change and generational shifts in values.

In Hensel’s view, the future will reward those who pair technical expertise with enduring, human-centered “soft” skills – problem-solving, adaptability and critical thinking – essential for navigating a world in flux.

“It really, in many respects, is the rebirth of the humanities,” she says. “How do you continually learn, acquire information, and work through ambiguity and fast, furious change in a way that lets you be successful? We are no longer preparing people for a single skill set that they then employ for the rest of their lives.”

This blend of pragmatism and optimism has already begun shaping Hensel’s early tenure at UH. She enlisted Guy Kawasaki, who popularized the term “technology evangelist” at Apple in the 1980s and 1990s and played a key role marketing the original Macintosh.

Kawasaki has since become a best-selling author and an evangelist for Canva, the online design platform co-founded by Melanie Perkins, who famously faced more than 100 investor rejections before turning her idea into a multibillion-dollar business.

At UH, Kawasaki serves as an advisor to Hensel and together they are working on new digital initiatives. He is also “a resource to faculty on strategic uses of AI across academics, research, and operations,” according to the university system’s website.

Hensel herself leans naturally into the digital age – chatting in a YouTube interview with her new dog, Phoebe, nestled at her side (which she reposted on LinkedIn, commenting, “Phoebe and I were interviewed!”) – or appearing in an Instagram reel from the UH Mānoa Alumni Makers’ Market at The Royal Hawaiian.

Hensel is equally comfortable in the classroom, online or at community events. She welcomed students back to campus, which was documented in a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter (https://x.com/UHPresident/status/1960530284035588309)

In fact, the volume of her public appearances suggests she has been UH president for years, though she has been in the role since January 1, 2025.

But with big money comes big expectations.

These days, it might be easier for Tagovailoa to avoid a dominating pass rush than escape his skeptics. “Can he stay healthy?” (Tagovailoa has missed games due to injury in four of his five NFL seasons.) “Is he the right QB for the team?” (He has yet to lead the Dolphins to a playoff win.) And, ultimately, “Is he worth the money?” (If the Dolphins wind up having buyer’s remorse, they could cut ties with Tagovailoa either via trade or by releasing him outright.)

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa’s predecessor at Saint Louis, Marcus Mariota, has embraced his role with the Washington Commanders, serving as the team’s top backup QB and a mentor to rising star Jayden Daniels, who is in his second NFL season this year. Mariota will make $8 million with the Commanders in 2025. Less money, less scrutiny.

“I’m just kind of having fun with it, rolling with the punches,” he told Spectrum News in early July. “Whatever comes, if they need me, I’m ready to play. Otherwise, I’m here for [Daniels], just making sure he’s playing to the best of his ability.”

Here is our list of best-paid athletes with Hawaiʻi ties and their 2025 salaries. Our primary source is Spotrac.com, a website that tracks the contracts of athletes in major professional sports leagues. This year’s list includes former Kahuku High School star Tolu Smith, who in April became only the second Hawaiʻi high school graduate to play an NBA game. The first was Hilo High’s Ephraim “Red” Rocha, who last played in the league in 1957.

INDIVIDUAL SPORTS

Allisen Corpuz has yet to win an LPGA Tour event in 2025, but the Honolulu native and Punahou School graduate has still pocketed $474,835 through 15 starts so far. The 27-year-old has posted two Top 10 finishes, including a third-place result at the Ford Championship in March that earned her $150,372.

As individual performances go, however, Waiʻanae’s Max Holloway is the big winner. The UFC lightweight has fought just once this year, but his unanimous decision win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 earned him $1.54 million. Since his UFC debut in 2012, the 33-year-old striker has earned an estimated $6.2 million in fight payouts.

1. TUA TAGOVAILOA

QUARTERBACK, MIAMI DOLPHINS
ʻEwa Beach, Saint Louis School
2025 SALARY: $50,296,000*
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2028): $212.4 MILLION
**INCLUDES $25 MILLION SIGNING BONUS AND $250,000 WORKOUT BONUS**

2. DEFOREST BUCKNER

DEFENSIVE TACKLE, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Wai‘anae, Punahou School
2025 SALARY: $23 MILLION*
TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION (2025-2026): $46 MILLION 
*INCLUDES $10 MILLION ROSTER BONUS

3. TETAIROA MCMILLAN

WIDE RECEIVER, CAROLINA PANTHERS 
Waimānalo 
2025 SALARY: $17,793,012*
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2028): $27,930,390 
WAS SELECTED 8TH OVERALL IN THE 2025 NFL DRAFT 
*INCLUDES $16,953,012 SIGNING BONUS

4. KIRBY YATES

RELIEF PITCHER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS 
Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i High School 
2025 SALARY: $13 MILLION 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $13 MILLION

5. MARCUS MARIOTA

QUARTERBACK, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 
Honolulu, Saint Louis School 
2025 SALARY: $8 MILLION* 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $8 MILLION 
*INCLUDES $5.5 MILLION SIGNING BONUS AND $100,000 WORKOUT BONUS

6. ISAAC SEUMALO

GUARD, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 
Born in Honolulu 
2025 SALARY: $7,875,000* 
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2023-2025): $24 MILLION 
*INCLUDES $1 MILLION ROSTER BONUS

7. ISIAH KINER-FALEFA

INFIELDER, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 
Honolulu, Mid-Pacific Institute 
2025 SALARY: $7.5 MILLION 
TWO-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2025): $15 MILLION

8. JONAH SAVAIINAEA

GUARD, MIAMI DOLPHINS
Saint Louis School
2025 SALARY: $5,714,528* 
Details: Four-year contract: (2025-2028): $11,322,475

9. KA‘IMI FAIRBAIRN

PLACEKICKER, HOUSTON TEXANS 
Kailua, Punahou School 
2025 SALARY: $4.73 MILLION 
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2026): $15.9 MILLION

10. ALOHI GILMAN

SAFETY, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 
Lā‘ie, Kahuku High School 
2025 SALARY: $4.5 MILLION* 
TW0-YEAR CONTRACT (2024- 2025): $10,125,000 
*INCLUDES $1 MILLION ROSTER BONUS

11. JOSH ROJAS

SHORTSTOP, CHICAGO WHITE SOX 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $3.5 MILLION 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $3.5 MILLION

12. RIGOBERTO SANCHEZ

PUNTER, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $2.5 MILLION 
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2026): $7.5 MILLION

13. DILLON GABRIEL

QUARTERBACK, CLEVELAND BROWNS 
Mililani, Mililani High School 
2025 SALARY: $2,008,232* 
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2028): $6,226,322 
*INCLUDES $1,168,232 SIGNING BONUS

14. JAHLANI TAVAI

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $1.75 MILLION* 
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2027): $16 MILLION 
*INCLUDES $250,000 WORKOUT BONUS

15. JAMIN DAVIS

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, NEW YORK JETS 
Born in Honolulu 
2025 SALARY: $1,337,500 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $1,337

16. NETANE MUTI

GUARD, DETROIT LIONS
Leilehua High School
2025 SALARY: $1.1 MILLION
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $1.1 MILLION

17. ROMAN WILSON

WIDE RECEIVER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Kīhei, Saint Louis School
2025 SALARY: $1,056,144
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2027): $5,745,168

18. MARIST LIUFAU

LINEBACKER, DALLAS COWBOYS
Honolulu, Punahou School
2025 SALARY: $1,053,705
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2027): $5,691,514

19. NICK HERBIG

LINEBACKER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 
Kalāheo (Kaua‘i), Saint Louis School 
2025 SALARY: $1.03 MILLION
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2023-2026): $4,512,920

20. ANDREI IOSIVAS

WIDE RECEIVER, CINCINNATI BENGALS
Honolulu, Punahou School
2025 SALARY: $1.03 MILLION 
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2023-2026): $3,999,384

21. KANA‘I MAUGA

INSIDE LINEBACKER, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Wai‘anae, Wai‘anae High School
2025 SALARY: $1.03 MILLION
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $1.03 MILLION

22. TOLU SMITH

POWER FORWARD, DETROIT PISTONS 
Kahuku High School
2025-26 SALARY: $977,689
TWO-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2026): $1,303,554

23. JONAH LAULU

DEFENSIVE TACKLE, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 
University of Hawai‘i
2025 SALARY: $960,000 
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2027): $4,124,520

24. DARIUS MUASAU

LINEBACKER, NEW YORK GIANTS
Mililani High School, UH
2025 SALARY: $960,000 
FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT (2024-2027): $4,220,912

25. TREVEN MA‘AE

DEFENSIVE TACKLE, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Kapolei
2025 SALARY: $865,000*
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2027): $2.99 MILLION
*INCLUDES $25,000 SIGNING BONUS

26. BEN SCOTT

CENTER, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Honolulu, Saint Louis School
2025 SALARY: $855,000*
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2027): $2.98 MILLION
*INCLUDES $15,000 SIGNING BONUS

27. KOHL LEVAO

GUARD, NEW YORK JETS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $840,000 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $840,000

28. LUKE FELIX-FUALALO

OFFENSIVE TACKLE, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $840,000
THREE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025-2027): $2,965,000

29. JORDAN MURRAY

TIGHT END, CHICAGO BEARS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $840,000 
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $840,000

30. CADE SMITH

RELIEF PITCHER, CLEVELAND GUARDIANS 
University of Hawai‘i 
2025 SALARY: $785,100
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $785,100

31. JOEY CANTILLO

PITCHER, CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Honolulu, Kailua High School
2025 SALARY: $762,800
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT (2025): $762,800

Editor’s Note: The following football players have been cut from their NFL teams:

Jamin Davis (cut by Commanders and N.Y. Jets)
Netane Muti (cut by Lions)
Kana’i Mauga (cut by Raiders)
Treven Ma’ael (cut by Raiders)
Ben Scott (cut by Buccaneers)
Kohl Levao (cut by Jets)
Luke Felix-Fualalo (cut by Seahawks)
Jordan Murray (cut by Bears)

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE

While the UFL does not release individual player salaries, the minimum salary for the 2025 season, which ran from March to June, was $62,005. That minimum will increase to $64,000 in 2026. Alphabetically, here are UFL players with Hawai’i ties:

BRADLEE ANAE

LINEBACKER, BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS
Lā‘ie, Kahuku High School

DAE DAE HUNTER

RUNNING BACK, ARLINGTON RENEGADES 
University of Hawai‘i 

JORDAN TA‘AMU

QUARTERBACK, DC DEFENDERS 
Pearl City, Pearl City High School

CHEVAN CORDEIRO

QUARTERBACK, ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS
Honolulu, Saint Louis School, University of Hawai‘i

As writers and editors, we often receive much of the spotlight. But this award reminded me of something essential: the power of visuals in storytelling. A story doesn’t come alive through words alone. It’s the photographers, designers and art directors who give our reporting its visual heartbeat. And no one does that better than our creative director, Jeff Sanner.

In recognizing Hawaii Business, the judges from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism wrote:

“This is a fabulous reading experience from cover to cover. Truly engaging, smart design elevates the concepts in feature stories – such as ‘Gen Z in the Workplace’ or ‘A Renters Purgatory.’ Cover stories and features are varied and deep. Other stories are rooted in local context and clearly elevate the conversation for the local business community.”

That “smart design” is Jeff’s doing. In fact, the Gen Z cover won first-place gold for Best Magazine Cover, while Hawaii Business earned Magazine of the Year for our overall work during 2024. See page 20 for the full details on all the honors we received at the Alliance of Area Business Publishers’ annual awards ceremony on June 20.

I sat down with Jeff to talk about his life’s work, what sparks his creativity and the story behind the Gen Z cover that earned national recognition.

How did you come up with the Gen Z cover art?

I went through several concepts for this story, focusing on themes like Gen Z, multitasking and work-life balance. Even though I’m not part of Gen Z, my experience in the workforce has shown me how job roles have evolved over the years. Where there once were specific, clearly defined tasks for each employee, today’s roles are shifting toward the jack-of-all-trades model. That’s what inspired the multitasking – or “wearing multiple hats” – concept for this piece. It felt like the right visual metaphor for the Gen Z generation navigating modern work life.

How do you typically approach your artwork?

I’m a graphic designer at heart, and my love for printmaking has heavily influenced how I approach art. Everything I create is, in a way, a collage. From my early days making zines using Xerox machines and cut-and-paste techniques to screen printing and poster making, my work has always involved layering and texture. Now, as a mostly digital artist, I combine found imagery, illustrations, photography, typography and textures in my work. Every piece I create carries a bit of that collage spirit.

What’s your process when collaborating with reporters?

When I work with reporters or writers, I usually start with a concept they’ve shared, or I take bits and pieces and interpret them in my own way – adding flesh to the idea, so to speak. My goal is to enhance or amplify the story through visuals, offering an interpretation that grabs attention and brings new layers of meaning. Ultimately, my work is meant to complement the writing and attract readers who might not have been drawn to the story otherwise.

What’s the best part of your job?

Being able to explore more conceptual forms of art that can tell a story all on their own.

Who or what inspires your design work?

There are so many incredible graphic designers who inspire me. I also collect midcentury modern furniture – Eames, Arne Jacobsen and even the knockoffs from that era. I draw inspiration from music, contemporary artists like the Pow Wow muralists, street artists and toys, from pop culture, photography, and, yes, even beer.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

After doing this kind of work for almost 30 years, I’m still having fun. If you get into design, I’m sure you can enjoy it too.

Movies and TV shows about cops emphasize the high-stakes drama of police work: murder investigations, gang busts, armed robberies. But that’s only part of the job.

“When I was a patrol officer, I’d be doing one thing, eating lunch or relaxing, and the next minute a call comes in and it’s zero to 60,” says John McCarthy, a former Honolulu deputy chief of police. “There’s been many medical studies on police officers working at that high intensity all the time. It’s known to cause a lot of PTSD and anxiety disorders in individuals. Many officers will just constantly be on high alert waiting for a terrible call to come in.”

McCarthy retired as deputy chief of HPD in 2021 after 45 years of service.

Traumatic experience

“One of the most shocking cases I’ve dealt with was when I was working the midnight watch, just about to get off and I get a call about a suicide in the park,” McCarthy recalls.

“I got to the public park and … the sun was just coming up, I was kind of blurry-eyed from working all night. It was pretty slow before this. I get to the scene and it’s this young man hanging from a tree, mouth open, and there’s flies coming out of his mouth, so I knew he’d been there awhile. Situations like that stick with me. Again, you think the shift is going one way and then it ends with me doing a DOA for this young man.”

Recruiting difficulties

Long hours, emotional strain, constant paperwork and other dark sides of the job help explain why fewer people enter the profession today and so many police departments are understaffed. Four of the largest metropolitan police departments were collectively down over 5,400 officers during 2022 and 2023, the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin reports. “Further, law enforcement is experiencing a drastic decrease in the number of recruits – 27% to 60%, depending on the area.”

What it takes to recruit

Police work requires mental strength and the ability to stay calm under pressure. To attract more recruits, McCarthy says, police departments need to offer more than just a good paycheck.

“Other compensation such as better retirement benefits and medical insurance for spouses after retirement are two of the benefits once provided that have since been taken away,” McCarthy says. “Making the perks long term might make it more attractive. Otherwise, compensation alone hasn’t worked.”

Officers put themselves in danger daily, so long-term support and security for their families in case the worst happens can be just as important as the salary, he says.

High-stakes decisions

Police officers must be both physically and mentally resilient – or face permanent psychological scars, McCarthy says.

“Either you deal with things, such as the first shooting I was involved in, my first gun case, the first case where I had to use force. You don’t stand there and think, ‘OK what was I taught in recruit class? What’s the force continuum? What level of force can I use?’ You either react or you don’t react. That’s been my experience. You can’t let these things bother you or eat at you because it’ll be the downfall of you.”

He suggests it’s difficult for most people to understand how police officers deal with these high-stake situations because they never experience anything similar.

Women on the force

Many more women serve on police forces in Hawai‘i and nationwide than a generation ago. Could they be the answer to staff shortages?

“I’m not sure how to attract more women when they can’t even attract more men. The job has lost its glamour. The short and contentious term of Chief (Susan) Ballard may make it harder to recruit and retain women,” McCarthy says. He suggests recruiters could concentrate “in areas where younger females are active in job searches” or places such as schools where they’re already looking at life in the long term.

Twenty-four men and women have gotten head starts on future careers and better lives after prison.

While nearing the end of their sentences, they completed a six-week pre-apprenticeship program run by the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund. The classes covered math, job safety, blueprints, framing and other topics that carpenters and drywallers need to be well-versed in.

The training for inmates at the Waiawa Correctional Facility and the Women’s Community Correctional Center began last year and is similar to training provided at HCATF’s facility in Kapolei. Some graduates are already working in the industry, says Edmund Aczon, executive director of HCATF.

“This program helps break the cycle of reincarceration while meeting our industry’s workforce needs. By providing comprehensive skills and training and a clear career pathway, we’re not just creating skilled craftspeople – we’re offering an opportunity for genuine second chances and sustainable careers.”

Lokahiokalei Liu, a graduate of the program, says the training has given him the chance to be productive and responsible and to care for his kids. “This program was really good for me,” he says. “It gave me confidence and hope for myself. I also learned how this is a career opportunity, not just a job. … I didn’t know where I wanted to go in life, but this program has given me direction.”

The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided funding for last year’s training and for the pre-apprenticeship program this year at the women’s prison. After the graduates are released from prison, they can continue the next stage of their apprenticeship training with HCATF.

Photos courtesy: HCATF

Aczon says seeing apprentices successfully complete their training and get jobs in construction makes him and his team proud. “I started as an apprentice as well and know what these individuals could do after the apprenticeship.”

And he acknowledges the challenges the newly trained workers will face, including the cyclical nature of construction. The industry in Hawai‘i is booming now and skilled construction workers are in demand.

“We all depend on the economy and the contractors for the jobs. For me, timing is so important as well. Everything we do depends on it.”

HCATF hopes to extend the pre-apprenticeship programs to more incarceration facilities, including on Kaua‘i and Maui. HCATF is a partnership among the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, the General Contractors Labor Association, the Building Industry Labor Association, the Hawaii Wall & Ceiling Industry Association, the state and federal government, and UH. Learn more about the apprenticeships at hicarpenterstraining.com.

Beginnings: Diana Bertsch now oversees the very races she once watched from the sidelines. She says her journey from passionate spectator to event leader speaks to her love of the Ironman triathlon and what it stands for.

In 1990, Bertsch was vacationing on Hawai‘i Island. On the final day of her stay, she woke early and made her way to the Kailua-Kona seawall to watch as Ironman contestants splashed into the ocean on the first leg of the grueling three-part competition. And she promised herself, “I’m going to do this one day.”

Two years later, she moved to the island to work on that goal.

“I’d always been so passionate about Ironman and just how it changes lives and how this community … gives to make this event possible.”

She volunteered for the event in all kinds of capacities for three years, then participated in a qualifying race, where she earned a coveted spot in the Ironman World Championship.

A few years later, she joined the Ironman organization, at the urging of its race director. Then in 2003, after three years working for Kona resorts, she became the Ironman race director herself. Today, she’s the Ironman’s senior VP of world championship events.

“Each year, we’ve worked to be better than the year before, to grow the success of the event, and to continue expanding on what’s made us our most successful. And that all starts with the foundation of who we are – Hawai‘i,” Bertsch says. “It starts with our culture and the people who have always believed in the event to make it possible.”

Lucy Charles-Barclay won the 2023 Ironman Championship in Kona. Below, the finish line in Kailua-Kona | Photo courtesy: Ironman

Then and Now: The event began on O‘ahu in 1978 with just 15 athletes; it moved to Kona in 1981. In a typical year, 94,000 athletes from around the world participate in Ironman World Championship qualifying events. The organization manages 40 such events worldwide.

Since 2023, the annual Ironman World Championship competitions for men and women have been held separately: in Kona during October and Nice, France, during September. Last year, the men competed in Kona; this year, it’s the women’s turn in Kona. Organizers expect the 2025 Kona triathlon will have 2,500 competitors, 5,500 volunteers and 11,000 spectators, in addition to exhibitors, medical support, media members and staff.

Men and women follow the same three-part course in Kona: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike course and 26.2-mile marathon.

“The spirit of Ironman is the spirit of Hawai‘i,” says Bertsch. “To me, it’s about never losing sight of the beauty of what Hawai‘i has given us – the culture and everything that’s come with it. The most important thing we can do when we plan a new year is never forget where we came from.”

The start of the triathlon: the 2.4-mile ocean swim | Photo courtesy: Ironman

Fulfillment: “I thrive on planning, execution and attention to detail. When everything comes together with the team, that’s where the reward lies. Events are stressful, but incredibly rewarding,” she says.

“I have the greatest team in the world, and we have this incredible community that supports us. Our 5,000-plus volunteers play a critical role in making it all happen.”

And that’s what she’s done for 28 years, including reporting on some of the most powerful people and companies in business and finance: Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway; huge investment asset management companies like PIMCO, DoubleLine Capital and Bridgewater Associates; and financial powerhouses like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Vanguard, BlackRock and Fisher Investments.

And she’s connected and tenacious, having landed coveted, hard-to-get interviews with power players like Jeffrey Gundlach, Mellody Hobson, David Einhorn, Jim Chanos, Cathie Wood and Greg Jensen.

Jennifer took over as editor in chief of Hawaii Business Magazine in May, while I, after 16 years in the role, have moved into a part-time job as senior editor. I am certain that Jennifer will preserve the best of Hawaii Business while bringing new energy and great ideas into every part of our work: print, online, in our newsletters and events, and in fresh, exciting initiatives. The magazine is in excellent hands.

“I have big shoes to fill but I know Steve Petranik will always be one call away,” she says.

HOLDING THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE

Jennifer comes to the role with almost three decades of reporting and editing experience in New York City. She spent over a decade at Reuters, where she was U.S. investments editor and co-host of the Reuters Global Investment Summits before taking the helm as editor in chief and chief content officer at Pensions & Investments. She also spent over five years at Barron’s magazine and was U.S. assistant managing editor at the Financial Times during the Covid crisis.

Her stories had impact and often drama. “One of the biggest highlights of my career was covering Bill Gross, a co-founder of PIMCO known as the original ‘Bond King.’ When I started business journalism, I was asked to cover what’s known as junk bonds and other bonds – not the sexiest thing – and that was the best career move, because it was not only complex but also had all these major characters,” Ablan says.

“Bill Gross was involved in all sorts of controversies. I wrote a long story about the end of his legacy and ended up in the middle of the fighting and arguing between Gross and Mohamed El-Erian, who were PIMCO’s co-chief investment officers.”

One tense but amusing moment happened when Jennifer boldly asked Gross if she could see the evidence for one of Gross’ allegations against El-Erian. Gross replied: “You’re on his side. Great, he’s got you, too, wrapped around his charming right finger.”

Reporting on these powerful Wall Street players taught her a lot. “We all know billionaires really care about their reputation,” she says, and will fiercely protect it, and they get angry when you ask probing questions “because they are used to being in control of their own narrative.”

In one of her great understatements, Jennifer says, “I’m not afraid of doing hard stories.”

HER LUCKIEST MOMENT

In another career highlight, Jennifer was tapped to run the buy side coverage at Reuters. “Buy side coverage is following the money, talking to very big investors and asking them, ‘What are you buying? What are you selling?’ A lot of high-profile investors are loath to tell you what they’re doing with their money, but that became my specialty. I was able to build a network, a Rolodex of sources, who would tell me what they’re buying, what they’re selling, where the money is going, where it’s not going. So I did a lot of networking in person, phone calls, everything under the sun.”

In the luckiest moment of her life, Jennifer avoided being part of history on 9/11. “I was working for Barron’s magazine and had attended the first day of a two-day conference at the World Trade Center. I was supposed to return at 8 a.m. the next day, but I overslept. I was getting ready, and my husband said, ‘Don’t go. Something happened.’ And we watched it unfold on TV.”

I first met Jennifer when my wife, professor Ann Auman, described her as one of her best students in the Journalism Department at UH Mānoa – though Jennifer admits she had so much going on that she was not a perfect student. The extracurriculars included on-the-job learning by writing for Ka Leo O Hawai‘i, the student newspaper, and eventually becoming its editor in chief.

That sounds a lot like my time at university so when Ann recommended Jennifer, I hired her for an entry-level position at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, when I was news editor there. At the time, Jennifer was recovering from bone cancer surgery on her right knee.

“If I were at the World Trade Center, I don’t know how I would run. Everyone ran for their lives” that day, she says. “I came to New York with a very weak knee, and yes, I survived bone cancer. I didn’t have chemotherapy, but I did get a total knee surgery.”

“That was probably one of the reasons I also came to New York. Life is fragile. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. And if I didn’t do it in my 20s, I don’t think I would do it at all. So that was a very big, life-changing experience.”

“IT FEELS LIKE A FULL-CIRCLE MOVE”

I had offered her jobs at Hawaii Business in the past but she turned me down. This time she said yes, partly because of the opportunity to become editor in chief, partly to help care for her parents and partly just to come home to Hawai‘i. Her reasons for coming home parallel those of the people she interviewed for her story in this issue about local professionals returning to Hawai‘i after successful careers on the mainland. (see page 46)

“The world is a chaotic place right now, which is one reason people are coming home. But more importantly, you can have a thriving career in Hawai‘i,” she says.

“It feels like a full-circle move, Steve. To be your heir is a dream come true. To come home as editor in chief of Hawaii Business, the oldest regional business magazine in the United States, is special.”

“I’m a local kid who grew up in Kalihi. There weren’t a lot of women in big roles when I was a child. I am screaming inside with joy and pride because I can build upon what you are giving me. I also wanted to work with Duane, Susan, Brandon and Kent (the leaders of parent company aio and Hawaii Business). It’s the opportunity of a lifetime in my home state.”

Coming home is also about the place you are leaving. I laughed when she described on a video call from New York City how the Big Apple can wear you down.

“Living here is like dog years. I feel like I’m 104 years old.” Her decades there included good times and hard times, like the dot-com bust, 9/11, the Great Recession and the pandemic – all of which she reported on.

Jennifer’s tenure at Hawaii Business will be different from mine but she’ll continue to focus on the big topics that drive life and the economy in Hawai‘i – including the high cost of living and housing and how to create conditions for business success and economic growth in the Islands. She also promises to continue publishing stories and information useful to our readers, their careers and their lives.

“There are a lot of untold stories in Hawai‘i at this moment of great economic and political shifts,” she says. “I want to be right there in the middle of it all.”

You might also like For Them, It’s Hawai‘i 2.0

There’s no place like home, but what if “home” has become one of the most expensive places on Earth?

For years, the Islands’ high cost of living and fewer career prospects had convinced many in Hawai‘i to seek opportunities on the mainland. Now a lot of them are reconsidering that decision.

Paul Galindo, a locally born lawyer who practices in litigation, could be the poster child for how to successfully transition home.

Galindo got a phone call from an old law school classmate who works at a Honolulu law firm. This was when Galindo was near his breaking point after 13 years in Washington, D.C.

“After spending a warm, sunny, beautiful New Year vacation in Hawai‘i, my spouse and I knew that we were through with Washington, D.C., and its cold, rainy, windy, miserable 33-degree winter weather,” he says.

Galindo flew home to take the Hawai‘i bar exam (he passed the New York bar in 2010) and succeeded on his first attempt.

The Millennial attorney says his relocation home wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t already built and maintained a network of classmates and colleagues who could enable and support that return. Advances in remote work also helped.

For his part, Galindo’s husband, also a lawyer, works remotely from Honolulu.

Gigi Dawn and Hawai‘i-born Zack Hernandez moved their company, AEP, to O‘ahu a year and a half ago.

Brain drain reversal

Galindo’s journey underscores a growing countertrend to the long-standing Hawai‘i-to-mainland brain drain: Working professionals on the continent are redefining their careers and reshaping their lives by coming home to the Islands.

Greater acceptance of remote and hybrid work has made the transition easier for many as have improved videoconferencing applications such as Zoom and Google Meets, cloud computing and project management software.

Indeed, in 2023, about 12,100 Hawai‘i-born individuals moved back to the state, while approximately 6,400 moved out, according to economist JoonYup Park of UHERO, the UH Economic Research Organization.

“This marks a reversal from pre-Covid trends, when more Hawai‘i-born residents were leaving the state than returning,” Park writes in the blog post “Who Is Moving In and Out? Understanding Migration Trends in Hawai‘i” (tinyurl.com/UHEROpost).

His study shows Hawai‘i has had a net gain in Island-born residents since 2021 – a trend that started during the Covid crisis when remote and hybrid work became the new normal for many professionals.

A large share of those returning home are 25 to 44 years old, which suggests that while many young people leave the Islands when they are 18 to 24 – often to attend college or start careers – many also return later.

In a follow-up interview with Hawaii Business Magazine, Park cites several reasons why people may have returned to Hawai‘i during and after the pandemic.

“The increased availability of remote work likely played a major role, especially at the height of the pandemic,” he says. “Another possible reason is the aging population in Hawai‘i – some may have returned to care for their parents or family members.”

Unfortunately, the data doesn’t tell us why people moved, only that they did, Park notes.

Kurt Osaki, FOunder of Osaki Creative Group, returned home a decade ago, and works from offices in Honolulu and Berkeley.

Working adults living on their own terms

Kurt Osaki is a UH graduate and globally recognized graphic designer who returned home with his wife a decade ago. He points out that younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, have increasingly prioritized work-life flexibility with hybrid schedules over traditional corporate structures and benefits.

“The younger generation is realizing the world is crazy right now. They are prioritizing health and mental well-being. They’re saying, ‘I’m going to be with my family and I’m going to enjoy life,’ ” Osaki says. “I think they’re being smarter in terms of how they approach their life as a whole.”

Osaki, founder of Osaki Creative Group, lives a hybrid life himself, residing in Hawai‘i but working from his offices in both Downtown Honolulu and Berkeley, California.

Galindo’s return to paradise with his husband underscores Osaki’s view about how some people are changing their ways of life: Galindo and his husband are savvy investors and savers. They are a part of the FIRE movement – financial independence, retire early – that is popular among Millennials and Gen Xers. The movement’s goal is for people to become financially independent by their 40s or 50s so they can retire if they wish and be freer to enjoy the rest of their lives.

“Shortly after graduating from law school, we knew that we didn’t want to wind up working 30 or 40 years in a legal career that would demand so much of our time, energy, weekends and youth,” he says.

Economist Joonyup Park of UHERO found that, in early 2023, nearly twice as many Hawaii-born people moved back to the islands compared to those that moved away.

Stemming Hawai‘i’s talent outmigration

For Hawai‘i-born Zack Hernandez, his return to O‘ahu was a no-brainer. Over a decade ago, the Punahou graduate received a scholarship to be team captain of Columbia University’s Division I wrestling team in New York City.

Between studying and sports, he was introduced to the world of Wall Street recruitment by a Columbia University alum who ran a talent-search firm. That exposure inspired Hernandez to choose the same career path.

“While I was in school, I picked up two years of experience and realized something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But how was I going to get back to Hawai‘i?” Hernandez asks.

His desire to return home became a personal mission. “With my background as a wrestler and a competitor, I felt that my next fight was to grapple with this talent brain drain and an age-old problem” in Hawai‘i, Hernandez says.

After moving from Manhattan to Seattle, Hernandez began beefing up his expertise in the recruitment and consulting business while working on building his own company, AEP Hawaii.

His firm specializes in building elite teams of executive, technology, finance and career professionals in Hawai‘i and the West Coast. AEP places local residents in high-paying jobs with its clientele of local companies and various startups, Department of Defense contractors and enterprises on the West Coast.

In Seattle, Hernandez ran a couple of recruiting firms. He also met his future wife, Gigi Dawn, then in business development for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. They began planning their way to the Islands and after several years of running AEP between Seattle and Hawai‘i, they moved the entire company to O‘ahu a year and a half ago.

Along with supporting tech conferences and networking events – AEP was a founding sponsor of the first-ever Honolulu Tech Week – Zack Hernandez and Gigi Dawn are looking to help grow Hawai‘i’s “tech hub” community of web developers, engineers, technologists and executives.

Curt Kaneshiro, Principal at CTK Marketing Solutions, travels between Los Angeles and Hawaii to spend time with aging parents.

Pay transparency laws made a difference

Hernandez says two issues transformed Hawai‘i’s workforce landscape: remote work dynamics adopted during the pandemic coupled with pay transparency laws.

“When we saw Covid happen in 2020 and 2021, that’s when we first started to see local companies having to compete with remote opportunities,” Hernandez says.

In May 2020, 48.7 million people, about 35% of the employed workforce, reported they had worked from home in the previous four weeks because of Covid, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (tinyurl.com/BLSremote).

A McKinsey study (tinyurl.com/3fp5y2du) estimated that 29% of work in the U.S. could be done remotely with no productivity loss.

Another game changer for locals: transparency laws that attempt to reduce pay gaps, particularly the gender pay gap, by requiring employers to disclose salary ranges on job postings.

“Transparency laws also force companies to start paying folks higher, and that’s going to start levering up compensation. It’s going to start making folks realize that we have to be more flexible. These guys can be remote doing this job. Why do they have to commute for two to three hours from Wai‘anae into downtown?” Hernandez says.

“It’s the age of productivity, right? So for us, we’re looking at the companies who are the most forward-thinking companies that use technology.”

In September 2022 – during the height of corporate and government DEI initiatives – Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new California pay transparency law that expanded already existing state transparency requirements. The law took effect in January 2023.

Hawai‘i’s pay transparency law went into effect Jan. 1, 2024; it requires employers with 50 or more employees to disclose hourly rates or salary ranges in job postings.

Overall, salaries in Hawai‘i tend to be slightly lower than the national average, with wages approximately 7% below comparable mainland averages. That is against the backdrop of Hawai‘i’s cost of living, the highest in the country.

“It comes down to pay,” Hernandez says about relocation. “A lot of folks are afraid to talk about compensation. It’s something that never really was talked about. It was taboo. With salary transparency laws, all companies have to put a range up, which is great, and I think that’s a good first step. We’re going to raise those ranges up to be comparable to other tech hubs. That’s super exciting for us.”

As an example, AEP Hawaii is hiring a remote senior machine learning engineer to join one of its startup clients, an early stage software as a service company. The base salary for the role – $180,000 to $200,000 plus equity – is closing the gap between Hawai‘i and mainland wages.

Coming home to care for family

UHERO’s Park says working adults are also considering returning home to care for elderly parents.

Curt Kaneshiro, principal at CTK Marketing Solutions, is a case in point. “The main reason I go back and forth to Hawai‘i from Los Angeles is because – maybe you’ve heard of this story too as you’ve been talking to locals – as you get to a certain age, your parents are also aging. So you want to get close to your parents and spend as much quality time as you can,” he says.

The aging demographics of Hawai‘i adds perspective to why working locals are returning home.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2019–2023) estimates that about 198,517 individuals in Hawai‘i are 70 or older – 13.8% of the total population. That aging population is raising alarm bells: The state is experiencing a faster increase in the proportion of residents age 65 and older than the national average – which has implications for caregiving, housing and social services as well as overall resources.

Kaneshiro says that while Hawai‘i is the most expensive state to retire in, it’s also appealing because of its balmy weather and calmer pace.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources, GOBankingRates this year calculated the minimum savings people need in order to retire and still afford essentials like housing, groceries, transportation, utilities and health care. If they’re collecting Social Security benefits but have no other income, they still need about $2.21 million in savings to retire in Hawai‘i for 25 years, according to GOBankingRates. In the next most expensive states to retire – Massachusetts and California – people need around $1.6 million in savings.

Kaneshiro says Covid became a pivotal period of self-reflection for many locals. “Hawai‘i has a very unique culture, which is why many who have moved away for education and career opportunities have the desire to eventually return to their roots. ‘Ohana is real and recent events such as the pandemic that have significantly impacted people have sparked an even greater desire for a life of comfort that only our cultural foundations can fulfill.”

Osaki echoes Kaneshiro’s sentiments. “Like many others who’ve lived away, I always carried a part of Hawai‘i with me. And over time, the desire to bring what I’ve learned back home became stronger. That’s what made coming back so meaningful,” he says. “It wasn’t just about returning. It was about a sense of kuleana – it was about reconnecting, contributing and giving back to the place that gave me my roots.”