Sylvia Luke, Lieutenant Governor, State of Hawaii
Hawaii Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke
Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke was sworn in on Monday, December 5th, 2022. She is the State of Hawaiʻi’s 16th lieutenant governor and the third woman to hold the office. Sylvia was first elected to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 1998, where she served until 2022. During her twenty-four-year tenure in the State House, she had many roles, but most notably as the Chair of the Finance Committee where she developed a reputation of bringing transparency and accountability to the State budget.
Born in South Korea, Sylvia immigrated to Honolulu at the age of nine with her family. She attended Queen Kaʻahumanu Elementary School where the kindness of her 5th grade teacher helped her learn English. She later graduated from Roosevelt High School and then the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her first introduction to public service was in college when she was elected as President of the Associated Students of University of Hawaiʻi. Following her undergraduate degree, she continued her education at the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Sylvia is a wife, mother, practicing attorney in Honolulu – and the first Korean American politician ever elected to a statewide office in the United States.
Dr. Kanoe Nāone, Chief Executive Officer
Girls Scouts of Hawaii
Dr. Kanoe Nāone, CEO Girl Scouts of Hawaii
It was truly an honor to have Dr. Kanoe Naone, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Hawaii, as our keynote speaker at September’s lunch. Before her new position, she was the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Conejo Valley in Southern California. This Boys and Girls Club stayed open during the pandemic and she is proud that there were NO COVID transmissions during the pandemic. The first year of the pandemic, the club took a $1.5 million loss in revenue, however the second year, the club made up 100% of the revenue lost the previous year.
Her love for animals helped her to start the American Bulldogs of Hawaii and her current company La’au, Inc – K9 Skin Rescue using locally sourced volcanic sulfur and aloe vera, with a 98% efficacy for all types of animals and their humans.
Her new position with the Girl Scouts of Hawaii allowed her the opportunity to move home. She is excited to raise awareness and believes “Every girl deserves to be a Girl Scout.” Before the pandemic, there were approximately 8,000 Brownie / Girl Scouts in Hawaii. The current count is 2,000. Her goal is to have a Girl Scout troop in every school in Hawaii and to have 10,000 members by 2034.
Dr. Naone feels that STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) is vitally important and is trying to expose girls to this opportunity in their elementary years. There are currently 36 STEM badges that girls can earn.
Dr. Naone had two women mentors who saw her leadership potential and she is grateful to them. She emphasized that female CEOs make up 6% of the population. Women do not normally apply for top executive positions that they are qualified for whereas their male counterparts will often seek out an executive position, even if they are not qualified.
Some of the ways that she was able to succeed through her female mentors:
Being grounded
Although she had financial challenges, her mom never allowed her to feel that she was lacking
Ask for volunteers rather than just assigning tasks
Utilize multiple perspectives and collaboration
Incentives and benefits always help to motivate employees.
For more information, please visit www.gshawaii.org and www.laauinc.com.
Christine Lanning - President
Integrated Security technologies- July 10, 2024
Christine Lanning has been working for over 25 years in the Information Technology field. She shared that she was not studious, so she decided to go to LCC and work full-time while taking one class a semester. She met her husband and he influenced her to take more than one class at a time. Working full-time and then taking more classes, she learned time management quickly and figured out how to prioritize.
In 2004, her husband started his own company and soon expanded to include accounts such as Tripler. Christine initially wanted to stay “behind the scenes” and did so from 2004-2015. In 2015, their company applied for an 8A Government contract for experienced small business owners who are socially and economically disadvantaged. In receiving the 8A contract, she decided to make the most difficult challenge of her life – from being “behind the scenes” to being the representative of the company. Going out of her comfort zone, she had to learn how to be an extrovert – which helped her succeed.
Christine shared her goals:
hire great people and manage the process
give opportunities to your employees to help them grow into their roles
empower your employees and be their cheerleader
help other women business leaders
Christine left us with a few takeaways:
Be yourself and do the hard stuff
Grow your network (join organizations, empower and encourage your staff to join different organizations)
Have a process – quarterly sessions with her direct reports – get to know your team
Culture is everything – take care of your people, check in with your peers, people are your most important asset
Be the red car – be different; stand out (women empowerment in a male dominated industry)
Christine invites you to reach out to her to further discuss any part of her talk with our OWL members. Please reach her at: christine@istechs.net.
Chef Robynne Maii - Chef and Owner, Fete
Organization of Women Leaders - May 13, 2024
If you haven’t eaten at Fete Hawaii yet, this undoubtedly should be your next meal. Not only is the food excellent, but the leadership and creativity of Chef Robynne Maii are also inspiring and “delicious.”
Chef Maii shared that her business is not just about providing good food; it’s about fostering a community-oriented approach to hospitality and leadership. She is passionate about her work and aims to make a positive impact and effect change. She said, “I think a lot about hospitality every day; it’s the first thing I think of when I wake up each day.” She emphasizes the importance of extending kindness, even on our worst days, and recognizes the role each of us plays in making that happen. Serving others with inclusivity and kindness, no matter our profession, is central to her philosophy: “We are all in service,” in one way or another.
Chef Maii believes that a positive culture starts within the house, from the top down, and that this translates to the commitment and loyalty of her staff which translates to the guests' experience and their desire to return. She fosters this commitment by actively listening to her staff and patrons and taking the time to truly be present. This presence not only benefits the listener but also brings wellness to those around them. Her tips for “really listening” include slowing down, looking up, putting down our phones, removing distractions, and understanding the other person’s voice, vision, intentions, motivations, struggles, and needs. Through tuning in and being present, resolution and growth are achieved. Truly “being in the moment” creates monumental movement.
In chef’s terms, if you sprinkle kindness to everyone you meet and know, it will create such a delicious result!
Jennifer Sabas - Owner and President, Kaimana Hila
Organization of Women Leaders - January 2024
What a great experience to start the year off with Jennifer Sabas, Owner, and President of Kaimana Hila as we embrace our 2024 theme, “Expand and Empower.”
Jennifer’s career is a great example of the ability to expand knowledge, silently tear down the glass ceiling, and gain empowerment, by not giving up. Little did she know at the time that she was creating a path for her advancement and the advancement of those women who would come after her. Her career started with a unique focus on agriculture and sugar. Ironically, sugar was her passion but also became her nick name at meetings. She thought “sugar” would be her reality, and she would just have to live through it until her determination and resilience kicked in. It also helped that she worked for a supportive boss, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who could have changed the situation, but instead told her, “be patient, those people who said those things, will appreciate you.” Jennifer took those words to heart and let them build her character instead of tearing it down. Long story, short, her narrative changed. Those who called her "sugar" would later need her support.
Jennifer did not let that part of her story slow her down but used it to her advantage to accelerate her career. Another opportunity allowed Jennifer to build her knowledge base and expand her repertoire. She wanted to learn more about the military, DOD, National Security, and work with three- and four-star generals. Jennifer was able to utilize her listening and interpersonal skills not only to get a seat at the table but to be able to contribute and make an impact.
Jennifer provided tips for those who want a seat at the table:
- Get involved in partnering and networking.
- Once you get to the table, create space for others to come along.
- Be vulnerable and honest.
- Look for people with different skill sets to help.
- Do your research and be able to share those stories that capture attention.
- Sometimes compromise sucks, but you must do it.