Chaminade University of Honolulu

Press Release

Chaminade University Announces New Board of Governors and Regents Members

Chaminade University has named three new members to its Board of Governors and two new members to its Board of Regents.

Newly named to its Board of Governors are:

Bob Eisiminger
Bob Eisiminger was a Co-founder of Knight Point Systems (KPS) and served as Chief Executive Officer until its sale in 2019. He led KPI to the Inc. 5000 list and Washington Post’s Top Workplaces. In 2018, he was named one of the Distinguished Members of the West Point Society of DC and was named The EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Government Contracting for Mid-Atlantic in 2019. Additionally, he serves on the Board for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, and Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund. Eisiminger earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and later served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer with tours of duty in Texas and Germany.

Joseph McClelland, Jr., U.S. Coast Guard RADM (Ret.)
Retired from the U.S. Coast Guard, Rear Admiral McClelland was commissioned through Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in 1966. He served as a surface operations specialist having served five sea tours, including command in icebreakers and command of the Coast Guard’s oceanographic research ship. He received a master’s degree in Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School and qualified as a Ship Salvage Diving Officer and Helium-Oxygen Diving Officer. He is a Rotarian and a Life Member of the Navy League. He served as the president of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu and as president of the Honolulu Council. McClelland was awarded the Coast Guard’s Distinguished Public Service Award for his service as Chairman of commissioning committees in Hawai‘i between 2017 and 2019 for five Coast Guard cutters.

Matthew Morgan, MEd ‘02
Matthew Morgan is the Chief Business Process Officer and a member of the Global Management Committee of Teneo, a global CEO advisory firm headquartered in New York. Morgan began his career as an Army intelligence officer and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star, and served as a company commander and in various staff and leadership roles. He is a prolific author and speaker and has published several books, including A Democracy Is Born (2007), The American Military after 9-11 (2008), and the six-volume series The Impact of 9-11: The Day that Changed Everything? (2009). He earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduate degrees from Harvard Business School (MBA), University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (MA Political Science), and Chaminade University of Honolulu (Master of Education). In addition to serving on the Advisory Board for the University of Montana Mansfield Center, Morgan also serves on the Board of the Capital Classics Theatre Company.

Newly named to its Board of Regents are:
Eric Fujimoto

Eric Fujimoto, MBA ‘94
A proud Chaminade graduate, Eric Fujimoto is the Principal for Ho‘ea Wealth Advisory Group and a member of Ameriprise Financial Services. He was awarded the US Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year for the City and County of Honolulu in 2020. He was also named the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Professional Advisor of the Year and Chaminade Alumni of the Year. He volunteers at Drug Free Hawai‘i, Rotary Club of Pearlridge, Central Union Church, and for University of Hawai‘i athletics with ‘Ahui Koa Ānuenue and Na Koa.

David Underriner

David Underriner
David Underriner is the Executive Vice President of O‘ahu Operations and Chief Executive Officer of Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children, Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Medical Center for Hawai‘i Pacific Health. Prior to his appointment, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Health Officer at Hawai‘i Medical Service Association (HMSA); President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals for the Hawai‘i region; and as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of Providence Saint Joseph Health (PSJH) Oregon. Underriner is a graduate of Oregon State University and holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Management from the University of Washington. He has served on many boards with a focus on behavioral health, children, economic development and poverty reduction. He currently sits on the Oregon State University Foundation Board, and is Board Chair for Credena, a specialty pharmacy subsidiary of PSJH.

Chaminade’s Board of Governors and Board of Regents serve to create and authorize school plans and policies and to ensure that they articulate the vision and mission of the university system.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives, and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation, and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology, and nursing practice. Learn more at chaminade.edu.

Chaminade Associate Professor Awarded Fulbright-Hays Grant

Eva Washburn-Repollo, School of Business and Communication

The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program under the U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a $100,000 grant to Dr. Eva Washburn-Repollo of Chaminade University to fund a summer program meant to increase Hawaii’s capacity in Filipino culture-based education in K-12 classrooms.

The federal funding will support a short-term, curriculum development project spearheaded by Dr. Washburn-Repollo titled the “Cebuano Language and Culture Program,” in which program participants will travel this summer to the Philippines. Dr. Washburn-Repollo is an associate professor at the university’s School of Business and Communication.

During the Philippines trip, a travel group of undergraduate and graduate Education majors, administrators and higher education instructors and K-12 teachers will develop creative Cebuano-English educational resource materials as part of their lesson plans on the islands of Negros Oriental and Cebu in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, where the Cebuano language is spoken primarily.

Program selectees will receive language lectures/workshops from the Cebuano Studies Center in the University of San Carlos. On Cebu, they will also visit thematic sites such as indigenous herbal gardens,  mangroves and coral reefs. On Negros Oriental, they will attend lectures/workshops at Silliman University’s Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (SU-IEMS), and Silliman’s Marina Mission Clinic, sites chosen because of their strengths in the focal areas of marine biology and indigenous gardens. They will also be  working in partnership with scientists from the Jose Rizal Memorial State University.

Program activities will begin on June 13, 2022, and end on July 23, 2022.

The GPA program leverages Chaminade’s strong teacher education program and links to Hawai‘i’s K-12 classrooms, its success rate working with diverse student populations, and its strong connections to Hawaii’s Filipino community. Dr. Washburn-Repollo is the program’s project Director and her strength as a native Cebuano speaker and translator, her connections to the Philippines and the partner institutions, and her background in curriculum development and creative pedagogies will be supported by Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication and the School of Behavioral Science and Education.

Dr. Washburn-Repollo hopes through the program to increase Hawai‘i’s capacity in offering Filipino culture-based education in the K-12 classrooms.

“It is an honor as a native Cebuano speaker and translator to be able to partner with local institutions,” Washburn-Repollo explained. “It is vital to encourage educational development by honoring children’s language and culture.”

As part of their Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) program, the U.S Department of Education provides grants to support overseas research. Approximately $100K or about 100 percent of the total cost of the project will be financed through the federal funding, with the remaining amount of the project paid for by Chaminade University through in-kind contributions and other grant sources.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives, and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation, and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology, and nursing practice.

Nonprofit Business Plan Competition 2022

Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank are currently seeking entries in its Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. The competition, held every other year, is open to Hawaii nonprofit organizations looking to start new ventures that will benefit society. Finalists and winning nonprofits will receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 to support their proposals.

“We’re pleased to continue this important program that aims to stimulate public interest and support in nonprofit organizations and encourages excellence and innovation in socially-motivated entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Roy Panzarella, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. “We are also grateful for American Savings Bank’s continued partnership.”

Applicants must submit a statement of intent by February 1, 2022, to participate in the competition. Among the competition’s requirements:

  • Applicants must be a new nonprofit organization (in operation less than 12 months prior to entry deadline), a new program of an existing nonprofit organization, or a new for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit organization.
  • Applicants must be located in the state of Hawaii.
  • The proposed venture must be designed to benefit society, i.e., it must generate positive social outcomes.
  • Only one business plan may be submitted for review.

The deadline for business plans is March 8, 2022. Eight finalists will then be selected to give an in-person presentation on April 12, 2022.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held at Chaminade University on April 27, 2022. Grants will be awarded to first place ($12,000), second place ($10,000) third place ($5,000) and fourth place ($3,000) winners. The remaining finalists will also receive $1,000 each.

For detailed information about the 2022 Nonprofit Business Plan Competition, click here to download the entry packet. The entry packet includes eligibility requirements, entry and review process, recognition and awards, evaluation criteria and FAQs, as well as a sample business plan outline.

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Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program is a one- or two-year certificate program. Students learn first-hand from experienced Hawaii business leaders and entrepreneurs about the business of getting a new idea up and running. This involves academic coursework, mentorships and internships with business leaders, weekly lectures, study trips, and programs like the nonprofit business plan competition. For more information, visit Chaminade.edu/hogan.

Chaminade University’s Healthcare Simulation Program Receives Provisional Accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare

After a thorough evaluation, Chaminade University’s School of Nursing and Health Professions’ simulation program has received provisional accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). Accreditation recognizes the school’s expertise in simulation and its ability to meet SSH’s high program standards. 

“Provisional accreditation is very important for our School,” said Rhoberta Haley, PhD, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions. “We’re excited about our simulation program, as this type of hands-on learning brings curriculum to life and underscores its relevancy. The real power is in their immersive nature. In a simulation, students are embracing their roles as critical thinkers, as clinicians and as team-based collaborators.”

Recent simulations have included a mock COVID vaccination clinic, a mock encampment of people experiencing houselessness that gave nursing students vital experience “treating” patients who are living on the streets, and a fast-paced epidemiology “unfolding case study” that tasked students with working out the source of a simulated Hepatitis A outbreak with 25 mock patients, each with unique health stories.

The simulation program’s evaluation process included an accreditation application review, detailed review of Chaminade’s simulation program, a virtual site visit with the SSH Simulation Accreditation Review Team and accreditation committee decision. The school will apply for full accreditation in approximately two years. 

SSH and its accreditation process seeks to improve performance and reduce errors in patient care through the use of simulation. The Society promotes improvements in simulation technology, educational methods, practitioner assessment and patient safety that lead to better patient care and improved patient outcomes.  

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university, and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology and nursing practice. Learn more at chaminade.edu.

Chaminade University Names Dr. Gail Grabowsky as Dean of School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Gail Grabowsky

Chaminade University has named Dr. Gail Grabowsky as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. With more than 20 years of experience at Chaminade, she most recently served as the interim dean of the School.

“Dr. Grabowsky’s proven leadership in research, teaching and service makes her an excellent choice to permanently lead the school,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, President of Chaminade University. “She also brings extensive institutional knowledge and a record of working collaboratively to achieve strategic initiatives focused on student success.”

In addition to her role as dean, Dr. Grabowsky is the director and professor of Environmental Science and Environmental Studies at the University. She began working at Chaminade in 1997 after studying population genetics at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and receiving her PhD in Zoology from Duke University.

An accomplished writer and environmentalist, Dr. Grabowsky has published an award-winning book: ’50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save Hawai‘i’ and appeared as a “science character” in National Geographic/Sea Studios’ series: The Shape of Life. She has also published numerous research papers.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Grabowsky has served on a number of environmental councils and committees. From 2001 to 2020, she was an advisory council member and chair of the education working group for Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument. She was also appointed by Governors Cayetano and Lingle to serve on the State’s Environmental Council for eight years.

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university, and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology and nursing practice. Learn more at chaminade.edu.

Chaminade University and Hawaii Catholic Schools Announce 2021 Ka Ho’oulu Innovation Recipients

Chaminade University’s Center for Strategy and Innovation, in partnership with Hawai‘i Catholic Schools, has announced the recipients of the 2021 Ka Hoʻoulu Innovation Awards: St. Louis School’s Principal Devin Oshiro, EdD, and St. Joseph Parish School. The awards recognize the demonstration of substantial innovation that has greatly advanced Catholic education in Hawai‘i.

Devin Oshiro, EdD, recipient of the 2021 Ka Ho'oulu Award
Individual Award – Dr. Devin Oshiro, principal of St. Louis School

Dr. Oshiro has led and worked collaboratively with St. Louis School’s faculty to create a diverse learning environment that addresses the needs of all students. Their six-point system, which consists of ‘aina-based learning, global learning, personalized learning, whole group learning and learning specific to young men, has resulted in stronger GPA levels, improved standardized test scores and the school’s highest enrollment in 20 years.

Institution Award – St. Joseph Parish School
Located in Waipahu, St. Joseph Parish School has integrated a community-wide Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum to address a much-needed facet for all learners. The school partnered with the Institute of Social and Emotional Learning and formed an internal SEL Committee to develop and implement the curriculum through workshops for administration, faculty and staff to develop a common language and basic understanding of the process, and reinforce the belief that SEL is essential to student achievement.

The Ka Hoʻoulu Innovation Awards were created in 2020, as a way to recognize outstanding educators from Catholic schools throughout the state. Award applicants submit projects that exemplify the Catholic world view, support quality academics, integrate technology, demonstrate data-driven decision making or promote operational vitality. Those who submit projects with the highest marks receive recognition at an annual award ceremony and a grant to continue their work.

“We are so delighted to sponsor this award,” said Dr. Helen Turner, vice president of Chaminade’s Center for Strategy and Innovation. “The winners represent Catholic education in Hawai‘i, where teachers and administrators are continuously innovating in support of their students and their shared mission to provide high quality, affordable education. Students who are benefitting from the creativity of educators like Dr. Oshiro and teams like that of St. Joseph Parish School are part of a talent pipeline in Hawai‘i that is grounded in values and strong academics. We at Chaminade look forward to seeing them as future Silverswords!”

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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university, and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology and nursing practice. Learn more at chaminade.edu.