Trustees

Daniel Chun

Regional Vice President - Hawaii,
Alaska Airlines

Your favorite school lunch?
Pizza

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mr. Fred Murphy from Mililani High who was at the time the school band director. He is now the school principal! Mr. Murphy was very nurturing and a wonderful mentor.

Liz Chun Uyehara

Director of Communications, Hawaii Pacific Health

Your favorite school lunch?
Spaghetti

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mrs. Carrie Mizoguchi and Mrs. Leinaala Freitas made a lasting impression on me as teachers and class advisors in student government at Roosevelt High School. They provided constant guidance, challenged me, and were my first mentors in leadership responsibility.

Darcy Endo-Omoto

Executive Advisor to the President, HEI

Your favorite school lunch?
Anytime they had “Grandmother’s cookie” as dessert.

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Ms. Bobbi Kakuda – She truly inspired me and really made learning interesting and fun. How many teachers can do that with AP European History?

Dana Michiko Harvey

External Affairs Director,
Alexander & Baldwin

Your favorite school lunch?
Stuffed potato skins, I remember thinking it was so fancy!

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
I want to do my part to change the narrative of public schools as a default option for families and highlight the profound pride felt by public school grads. PSHF focuses on the best of public schools and enthusiastically funds programs to support teachers.

Anna Hu

Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer,
Central Pacific Bank

Your favorite school lunch?
Spaghetti

Your favorite teacher growing up? Why?
Mrs. Emma Ling, my second-grade teacher who inspired me to work on my penmanship. She had a beautiful writing style and she often told me that I had it too.

Marc Inouye

Director of Government and Public Affairs, Par Hawaii

Your favorite school lunch?
I really looked forward to eating the chicken patty with gravy and mash potato lunch. Although the chicken patty was usually dry, the gravy and mash made it a delicious combination.

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My parents were both Kauai public school educators. They were my favorite teachers growing up and they continue to be my role models.

Nolan Kawano

Chief Financial Officer, Tradewind Group

Your favorite school lunch?
Teri burger

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
I truly believe that education when done in an innovative and sincere way can have everlasting results and is the foundation for Hawaii’s greatness.

Ian Kitajima

President, Pacific International Center For High Technology Research

Your favorite school lunch?
Sloppy Joe

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My intermediate school band teacher, Mr. Jaderstrom. He was so passionate, patient, and kind to our out-of-control band. We were so bad to him, and he was so good to us.

Michael Magaoay

Senior Electrical Engineer, Ronald N. S. Ho & Associates

Your favorite school lunch?
Sloppy Joe but I could never resist the freshly-baked butter cookies.

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
I definitely support the mission of PSHF to initiate, fund, develop, and train our educators to provide the social-economic environment through education and mentorship to our Keiki O Ka ‘Aina. The future is endless!

Cyd Miyashiro

First Vice President, Corporate Banking, American Savings Bank

Favorite school lunch?
Pizza

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mr. Barnes from Waiakea High because he made us read Beowulf and recite Hamlet, and Mrs. Miyamoto from Waiakeawaena Elementary because she gave the best hugs.

Lauren Nahme

Senior Vice President of Maui Recovery Effort

Your favorite school lunch?
Tacos

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
Our public schools are our most critical asset in our system of government entities. The Foundation rewards and shines sunlight on the amazing brilliance and dedication of those teachers and students who fight all odds for the sake of excellence.

Rhonda Nishimura

Judge, Tenth Division (retired),
Circuit Court of the First Judicial Circuit

Your favorite school lunch?
Baked spaghetti

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My first-grade teacher Mrs. Hayashi. She was humorous, down-to-earth, kind, generous in her praise, and made every student feel special. Little did I know her husband was Associate Justice Hayashi at the Hawaii Supreme Court.

James Odan

Vice President & Manager Transformation Management Department, First Hawaiian Bank

Your favorite school lunch?
Saimin

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Yoon at King Kaumualiʻi Elementary School. She was a very patient and supportive educator who helped me focus in school when I was just another active (perhaps overactive) kid from Kauai.

Wendy Odo

Chief Financial Officer, Healthcare Association of Hawaii

Your favorite school lunch?
I loved the rolls that the cafeteria would serve! But, as far as lunches – spaghetti!

Your favorite teacher growing up?
I had three teachers from second grade Mrs. Santoki, Mrs. Shibuya, and Mrs. Uda. It was a long time ago but I remember enjoying going to school – they were encouraging and challenging!

Quin Ogawa

Chief Financial Officer, Hawaii Dental Service

Your favorite teacher growing up?
The whole band/orchestra experience was a very important part of my life from elementary school to college and it helped build my self-confidence, social, and educational skills. I give credit to all the band directors/musicians who were my teachers, Mr. Ralph Oshiro, Mr. Ronald Baltazar, Mr. Grant Okamura, Mr. Royce Tanouye, Ms. Norma Parado, and Mr. Keith Higaki.

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
Education is the great equalizer. The Foundation is an organization that helps overcome barriers of social determinants of health and student success by giving our schools, teachers, and keiki resources and support to promote innovation, learning/knowledge, and to foster hope and curiosity. Your zip code should not be more important than your genetic code in determining your health, life expectancy, and future success.

Terri Okada

Senior Vice President, Bank of Hawaii

Your favorite school lunch?
I don’t recall a favorite school lunch, but what was memorable for me was hot chocolate!

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mrs. Kano, my first-grade teacher at Noelani Elementary, was a favorite because she was nurturing and always made me feel special. She continued to look out for us as we grew up and moved on to the older grades.

Julia Okinaka

Consulting Managing Director, Accuity LLP

Your favorite school lunch?
Cheese pizza

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
Teaching is a great responsibility. Every positive teacher, classroom, and experience in the school can help a student to expand their abilities, promote self-esteem, and become a better human being.

Saedene Ota

Owner and Creative Director, Sae Design Group

Favorite school lunch?
Tater Tots

Why you support the mission of the Foundation?
Public education is one of the most important services that we can provide our community. The Foundation helps us see through the passion of our teachers and the dreams of our Keiki.

Jennifer Sabas

Owner, Kaimana Hila

Your favorite school lunch?
Spaghetti

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
The best and brightest have come through Hawaii’s public schools and gone on to serve in leadership posts in all of Hawaii’s sectors. The Foundation spotlights and amplifies these successes, and encourages teachers and students to be their best.

Toby Taniguchi

President and Chief Operating Officer,
KTA Super Stores

Your favorite school lunch?
Tacos

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Deborah Miyao and Paula DeMorales, who I truly respect for their commitment to educating and mentoring their students!

Brian Tatsumura

Principal, Briant 808, LLC

Your favorite school lunch?
Sloppy Joe

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mr. Choy who taught Geometry and was a very disciplined but fair teacher.

Lionel Tokioka

(President Emeritus)

Tyler Tokioka

Chairman, Island Insurance Companies

Your favorite school lunch?
Sloppy Joe

Why do you support the mission of the Foundation?
It is important to allow teachers to find different ways to engage with and inspire students' desire to learn. PSHF provides teachers the opportunity to explore different ways to do so and create magic in the classroom.

Michelle Tran

Contract Administrator, ILWU

Your favorite school lunch?
Spaghetti

Your favorite teacher growing up?
Mrs. Nishiki from Thomas Jefferson Elementary. While she was firm and strict, she nurtured and inspired me to use my creativity, develop good habits and useful skills, and just be better.

Sharlene Tsuda

Vice President of Community Development (retired),
Queen’s Health Systems

Favorite school lunch?
Spaghetti

Why you support the mission of the Foundation?
All students deserve a quality education, and I am honored to support the Foundation in its efforts to strengthen quality public education for Hawaii’s keiki.

Hisae Uki

Vice President of Business Operations, Sun Noodle

Your favorite school lunch?
Sloppy Joe

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Kuwasaki, and my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Murakami from Waiau Elementary School, both encouraged me to see my potential. They helped me to build my confidence in studying math and English.

Filifotu Vaai

Vice President of Consumer Products and Sales, Hawaiian Telcom

Favorite school lunch?
My favorite school lunch was a mince and cheese or potato top pie.

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Sua (1st grade) she had a very kind demeanor, and she was always very encouraging. She also told stories in a very animated way that helped foster my early love for books and reading.

Nicole Velasco

Business Development, NORESCO

Your favorite school lunch?
I can't even remember what we ate for lunch.

Your favorite teacher growing up?
My memory of my teacher Auntie Hattie Eldredge Phillips is strong because she truly was 'ohana. Her aloha made the classroom an absolute haven for learning, and her soul was infused into campus traditions that made her a cornerstone of my core childhood memories.