Chaminade University of Honolulu

Guest Speakers

Nonprofit Financial Seminar

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After welcoming members from more than 50 charitable organizations, Associate Professor of Accounting with the School of Business and Communication, Richard Kido, noted that this year marked a milestone 20th anniversary of this Non-Profit Financial Seminar, which aims to provide guidance and information on financial and operational issues related to leading and managing nonprofit organizations that serve our communities.  

“Don’t forget to register or you won’t get your CPE credit,” Kido reminded attendees. Continuing professional education, or CPE, credit is a term referring to the points professionals receive for participating in specialized training. CPE credits are based on hours of study and count toward certification programs that enable professionals to maintain or update their credentials.  

“The last time I was up here, it was just me and a camera,” quipped Trever Asam, a partner at the Cades Schutte law firm, which specializes in tax and nonprofit organizations. “Today, I will provide an update on the new IRS federal tax rates, which have an impact on gift and estate taxes. I’ll also discuss gift bunching and the Secure Act 2.0.”  

Effective finance management is essential for the success of any non-profit organization. By understanding the importance of financial administration and the challenges that nonprofits face, organizations can take steps to improve their accounting practices and better serve their communities.  

Other speakers at the event included Be-Jay Kodama, a two-time Chaminade University graduate ’86 BA and ’17 MBA, and Vice President of Philanthropy at Catholic Charities Hawaii (CCH), who was a member of a panel that discussed fundraising and grant writing in the world of nonprofits.  

Panelists, from left, Angie Golis-Yamamoto, Be-Jay Kodama, Madalyn Kenney and Candace Asam-Lopez discussed fundraising challenges in the world of nonprofits.

“The work we do is important, and you have to be able to think outside of the box,” Kodama told attendees. “Don’t be afraid to ask … and ask again and again.”  

Also among the four-member panel was Angie Golis-Yamamoto, a 35-year veteran of the nonprofit sector, who shared her fundraising successes and failures. “The challenge is how to bring awareness and money to your special events,” said Golis-Yamamoto, Director of Development at Sacred Hearts Academy. “And there are a lot of logistics in running an event. For example, if you have an auction, do you have it online or do you it by paper?”  

Fellow panelists, Candace Asam-Lopez, Director of Development, Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii and Madalyn Kenney, Chief Development Officer, Make-A-Wish Hawaii shared their own approaches to fundraising, which include looking at events through a more critical lens, sponsor partnerships and post-event engagement.

“It requires a lot of committment,” Asam-Lopez said. “Events are expensive and labor intensive. And ever since COVID, the question still remains do you hold an in-person event or do you go virtual? But how would a virtual golf tournament look like?”

Organized annually by Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication, the daylong seminar featured an impressive slate of experts who made presentations that covered such topics as “COVID-19 Related 2023 Non-Profit Recovery Grant Program” by Shane Akagi, Administrator of the Office of Grants Management, City and County of Honolulu; “Recruitment and Retention of Employees” by Sarah Guay, Hawaii Employers Council’s President & Chief Executive Officer; and Strategic Alliances and Partnerships by Lindsay Kido, Beer is for Everyone Founder and Executive.  

Other scheduled speakers included Hugh R. Jones, Counsel, Ashford & Wriston LLP; Bernice Parsons, President & Co-Founder, Vertaccount; and Aedward Los Banos, Deputy Director, Department Of Community Services with the Department of Community Services, City and County of Honolulu.  

The day concluded with three breakout sessions, with the first focused on the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) led by Adjunct Professor Wayne M. Tanna, JD, LL.M; and Recruitment and Retention of Employees with Guay. The second session looked at Grant Accounting with Professor Aaron Williamson; and Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Lindsay Kido. The day’s final session involved Understanding the Audit Process Review with Catha Lee Combs, CPA and Managing Partner with Wikoff Combs & Co., LLC; and Sources of Nonprofit Financial Information with Professor Kido.  

“This was the first year since COVID that the seminar was held fully in-person,” said Asoke Datta, EdD, School of Business and Communication’s Assistant Dean and the seminar’s Moderator for Financial Track Sessions. “You could really feel an uptick in energy and excitement. What this seminar achieves is to bring nonprofits together, which doesn’t often happen. So, the seminar allows these nonprofit leaders to meet each other and form new collaborations.”      

Making Dollars & Cents

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Demystifying Financial Literacy

Chaminade president Dr. Lynn Babington is flanked by, from left, Andrew Rosen, president and CEO of Hawaii State FCU, Greg Young, president and CEO of HawaiiUSA, Dr. Annette Santos, interim dean, School of Business and Communication, and Dr. Guanlin Gao, director of Chamiande’s Economic Education Center for Excellence and associate professor.
Chaminade president Dr. Lynn Babington is flanked by, from left, Andrew Rosen, president and CEO of Hawaii State FCU, Greg Young, president and CEO of HawaiiUSA, Dr. Annette Santos, interim dean, School of Business and Communication, and Dr. Guanlin Gao, director of Chamiande’s Economic Education Center for Excellence and associate professor.

For a couple of hours on a Tuesday morning, Hale Hoaloha’s R301 became a trading floor, with buyers and sellers brokering deals during a stock market simulation game. Waving a card in the air—like a trader would do on a Stock Exchange—Waipahu High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Russell Park walked around the room, booming, “Who’s selling? I’m buying!” The exercise was all part of the Economics and Personal Finance Literacy Summer Institute, led by Dr. Guanlin Gao, Director of Chamiande’s Economic Education Center for Excellence and an Associate Professor of Economics with the School of Business and Communication.

“No takers,” said Park, after the first round. “What I’ve learned so far I wish I had known years ago. I have also realized the importance of sharing this information with kids—to prepare them for the real world.”

According to Gao, this summer institute offers students essential knowledge and skills on how to allocate limited resources they have in life, such as time and money, in the most efficient way to satisfy their wants and needs. It also prepares them to better understand and respond to the events that shape their economic environment and financial well-being.

“We’re all natural-born economists,” said Gao, while looking around the classroom. “You might not just realize it … for now.”

Initially intimidated by graphs and charts, DJ Woodard of Waianae High School, grew comfortable with the classes after the first day. On the trading floor, she used her savvy and some recently-learned buzz terms to clinch a deal and made a profit.   

Dr. Gao's Economics and Personal Finance Literacy Summer Institute curriculum included such topics as market operations and government interventions, environmental economics, personal finance education and financial wellness.
Dr. Gao’s Economics and Personal Finance Literacy Summer Institute curriculum included such topics as market operations and government interventions, environmental economics, personal finance education and financial wellness.

“This shows us how to give our students a financial foundation,” says Woodard, a transition coordinator. “It gives them exposure to financial literacy, such as budgeting and saving.”

According to Gao, this institute is taught in a combination of lectures (with an emphasis on real-life examples and situations), in-class games and group activities, hands-on projects and field classes. The curriculum includes the economics and personal finance concepts based on the Hawaii Department of Education (HDOE) Social Studies Common Core standards, including such topics as market operations and government interventions, environmental economics, personal finance education and financial wellness. 

“I wish this was available when I was young,” Woodard lamented. “I would have had a better financial foundation. But I guess at 60 years old, it’s never too late.”

Through the training, participating teachers received access to teaching resources, including ready-to-adopt lesson plans—which Woodard said she plans to use—and one-on-one assistance in adopting and adapting lesson plans for specific grade levels.

A 10th grade health teacher at Farrington High School, Jan Halpenny was part of the first cohort from last year’s institute. So, too, was Kalelani Ogata, a special needs teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.

“Students are so ill-prepared financially,” said Halpenny, who attended this year’s luncheon finale. “They don’t even understand the most basic of finances, such as supply and demand.”

Hale Hoaloha’s R301 became a trading floor, with buyers and sellers brokering deals during a stock market simulation game.
Hale Hoaloha’s R301 became a trading floor, with buyers and sellers brokering deals during a stock market simulation game.

For her part, Ogata set up a class store, where the only accepted currency is good behavior. “These are special need 3- to 5-year-old kids,” she said. “They learn to count, and they quickly learn that needs and wants aren’t the same thing. The kids go home excited to talk about what they learned.”

The Nation’s Report Card on Financial Literary gave Hawaii a D grade, but cited some significant accomplishments, including the establishment and maintenance of a financial literacy website by the HDOE. Available is the HDOE Standards with Opportunities to Integrate Financial Literacy Concepts with financial literacy concepts matched to multiple English Language Arts, Mathematics, CTE, Social Studies and Science standards for K-12. The website also provides robust financial literacy resources and programs for teachers to help implement financial literacy instruction in their classrooms. In 2021, Hawaii’s legislature passed a resolution “urging the Department of Education to coordinate with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to implement a graduation requirement of at least a half credit in financial literacy during the junior or senior year.”

However, according to the report, although Hawaii has made efforts toward increasing its financial literacy instruction, mainly through establishing the Hawaii Public Schools Financial Literacy Task Force, it still receives a “D,” as it does not provide any substantial financial literacy instruction.

“We know we have work to do when it comes to financial literacy in Hawaii, but we are proud to be making a difference and serving as a hub for economics education,” Gao said. “Financial literacy doesn’t have to be hard and unreachable. In fact, financial literacy should be accessible to everyone.”

People, Planet and Prosperity

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Three-day conference sharply focused on issues of sustainability

We can no longer use the NIMBY (not in my backyard) argument when it comes to advancing future projects. We’ve arrived at a hinge moment when solving our biggest problems—from environmental to social—means we need to start saying YIMBY, yes to some things: from solar panels and wind turbines to battery production and lithium extraction to universal basic income and food security. These are challenges for sure, but left unaddressed, the consequences could spell disaster, as discussed during a three-day conference sponsored by Chaminade University’s CIFAL Center of Honolulu.

On the final day of the People, Planet and Prosperity for a Sustainable Future symposium, Dr. Gail Grabowsky addressed the United Nations Institute for Training and Research’s  (UNITAR) Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its corresponding 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which cover a vast range of subjects that impact all of us.

“I’ve been steeped in environmental studies for more than 25 years,” said Grabowsky, Chaminade’s Dean of the School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics and Executive Director of CIFAL Honolulu during her keynote address to attendees. “And a year and a half into establishing CIFAL Honolulu, we’ve brought sustainability into people’s consciousness. And we’ve sponsored more than 50 events.”

The CIFAL Global Network is composed of 32 International Training Centers for Authorities and Leaders, all coordinated by UNITAR’s Social Development Program. The strategic locations of the 32 centers, which can be found across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, ensure a global outreach. Each CIFAL—a French acronym for Centre International de Formation des Autorités/Acteurs Locaux (International Training Centers for Local Authorities and Local Actors)—outpost provides innovative training and serves as a hub for the exchange of knowledge among government officials, the private sector and civil society. 

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington with Hawaii Gov. Joshua Greene during the People, Planet and Prosperity Conference.
Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green during the People, Planet and Prosperity Conference.

In his keynote address, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green pledged to generate billions of dollars from philanthropy and outside investment to make Hawaii the first state to become fully reliant on clean energy. It’s a familiar stance that Green has taken since he introduced a slew of major climate policy initiatives earlier this year, including a recommitment to the U.S. Climate Alliance and the establishment of a Climate Advisory Panel.

“We have so many people in this room, find a project that will help Hawaii, help us with health care, help us with the environment,” Green told attendees. “I will bring in investors from across the globe because they are interested in Hawaii, but we will still need to do the job.  Be ready. It should be a dynamic few years.”

The presentations indeed reflected this dynamicism, featuring such diverse topics as “Teaching the Importance of the Ocean to Fight Climate Change,” “The First Statewide Initiative to Connect All Public Universities to Advance PK-12 Climate Literacy, Justice and Action,” “Innovation and Sustainability: The Negative Impact of the Protectionist Leadership Style” and “Food Insecurity.”

“Being part of the UN, we bring awareness to sustainable issues, and train people to get involved and to act on sustainability,” Grabowsky said. “We support economic sustainability in the context of still maintaining an aesthetic environment.”

As the only CIFAL Center in the Pacific, the Chaminade campus is part of a region that includes China, Korea, the Philippines and Australia. The CIFAL Network focuses on topics within four thematic axes: Urban Governance and Planning, Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability. Each center is locally managed by a host institution, with UNITAR providing academic content, technical support and quality assurance measures for their training activities. This allows each CIFAL to prioritize action in specific thematic axes, depending on local needs and priorities.

“The basic lesson of the Sustainable Development Goals is that human hopes, human aspirations, human fears are all interconnected,” said United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and executive director for UNITAR, Nikhil Seth, during last November’s “XIX Steering Committee Meeting of The CIFAL Global Network at Chaminade.  “You can’t separate them and follow them in discreet ways. The SDGs are like an umbrella of issues and almost everything you can possibly think of are probably covered in the 17 SDGs.”

And that includes Grabowsky’s pet project, “Pono Popoki Project: Malama Management of Free-Roaming Felines.” “Cats can be good for people’s mental health, which is Goal 3 of the SDGs,” said Grabowsky, pointing to a colorful chart that depicts all the SDGs. “And it also teaches our students biology and wildlife conservation.”

Catholic Schools Recognition Luncheon

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The Hawaii Catholic Schools Recognition Ceremony had already started, and St. Anthony School Maui’s Head of School David Kenney and music teacher Julia Golding were stuck on the tarmac at Kahului Airport. Unbeknownst to Golding, she was to be one of the luncheon’s guests of honor, and announced as the Hawaii Catholic Schools’ 2023 Teacher of the Year.

“It was a comedy of errors,” said Golding, referring to the hours-long delay at the Kahului Airport, which jeopardized her attending the luncheon. “Our first scheduled flight was cancelled because the plane that was supposed to come from Oahu never arrived. So, we got on another flight and that was delayed because of a medical emergency, which further delayed our arrival on Oahu because we lost the window of time to get to the Honolulu airport gate.”

St. Anthony School Maui’s music teacher Julia Golding with her Golden Pineapple.

Since 2019, Chaminade University and the Hawaii Catholic Schools have added an island twist to the national Golden Apple Awards, renaming it—fittingly—the Golden Pineapple Awards. “The Teacher and Administrator of the Year event would not be possible if it were not for our strong relationship with Chaminade,” said Llewellyn Young, Ph.D., superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools. “Chaminade is a Hawaii Catholic School, and we are tremendously grateful and blessed to have them as part of our Catholic schools ‘ohana.”

According to School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dean, Dale Fryxell, Ph.D., nominations for Teacher and Administrator of the Year can be submitted by a fellow teacher or an administrator, and parent or student. A panel comprised of Chaminade and Hawaii Catholic Schools representatives then review the candidates on the following criteria:

1.  How the nominee has made a difference in the life of a student(s).

2. The nominee’s accomplishments as they relate to leadership.

3. The nominee’s accomplishments as they relate to service to the school and community.

4.The nominee’s accomplishments as they relate to spiritual development.

“Today’s winners exemplify everything that these awards stand for—a celebration of the impact teachers and administrators have on the lives of their students,” Fryxell said. “Their commitment to their students and to their Catholic faith are admirable, and certainly warrant recognition.”

In her address to the group of Hawai’i Catholic educators, Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington discussed the challenges that our K-12 education system faces, and how Catholic education, with its unique position, can effectively address many of these challenges.

One of the main challenges Babington identified was the emphasis on standardized testing, which can often lead to a narrow curriculum that neglects critical thinking, creativity and character development.

“Catholic education can offer an alternative approach by fostering a holistic education that values the whole person,” Babington said. “Catholic schools emphasize the development of character, moral values and social responsibility alongside academic excellence. By instilling these values in students, Catholic education prepares them not only for academic success but also for a meaningful and fulfilling life.”

Golding said she imparts three key values to her students: faith, respect of self and each other, and gratitude. “If you don’t have a deep sense of faith, you don’t have that central character,” said the Australian native, who has taught at St. Anthony’s for the past two years. “I try to instill in my students that where they live and where they go to school are privileges.”

Kenney described Golding as thoughtful and insightful, and an incredible support to him and the entire administrative team. “Julia has made a tremendous impact and has initiated multiple programs, including the return of musical theater to the school for the first time in many years,” he said. “Additionally, the plays she has chosen allow for all of our students—young and old—to participate together, underscoring our charism and focus on unity and ‘ohana. We are truly blessed to have her as part of our ‘ohana.”

Drs. Dale Fryxell and Chaminade President Lynn Babington, along with superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, Dr. Llewelynn Young, far right, present Hawaii Catholic Schools’ Adminstrator of the Year to Margaret Rufo from Mary, Star of the Sea School.

This year’s Catholic Schools Administrator of the Year went to Margaret Rufo from Mary, Star of the Sea School. A dedicated and passionate administrator who has made a significant impact on her school community, Rufo regularly interacts with the students, even making herself available for one-on-one chats during lunch and recess. She’s also deeply involved in school events, such as International Day and the 24 Math Challenge Day.

“She is engaged in all aspects of the school, whether it’s a school dance, a basketball game, a parent meeting, an international festival or a poinsettia sale—she is there,” said Fryxell in announcing Rufo as this year’s Administrator of the Year. “In addition to her focus on academic achievement, Margaret also excels as a leader, serving as a role model for her staff and working tirelessly to create a supportive and collaborative environment.”

In her closing remarks, Babington congratulated Golding and Rufo, acknowledging their commitment to educating young people in the Catholic tradition.

“I commend you for the good work you do for these K-12 students,” Babington concluded. “You prepare them to be productive members of society, and to be successful in furthering their academic journeys through higher education.”

BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program

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Discussing ‘Spirit in the Time of Radical Change’

What is faith? What is spirit? And, how do you approach climate change from the different spiritual traditions? These were the three primary questions addressed during a discussion sponsored by the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program, which marks its 20th anniversary this year at Chaminade University. Originally named the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Reverend Fujitani Interfaith Program, the curriculum’s purpose is to bring together the Buddhist community with all other religious communities in Hawaii to promote interfaith dialogue, and to provide opportunities for understanding and action for peace and justice in our communities.

In a conversation themed, “Spirit in the Time of Radical Change,” panelists included Native Hawaiian practitioner Manulani Aluli Meyer, Buddhist David Atcheson, Indian Vedic specialist Akhilesh Tiwari and Mary Anne Magnier of Honolulu Friends Meeting, which is an open and affirming congregation that welcomes everyone.

“I’ve never moderated anything in my life,” says Chaminade sophomore La‘a Gamiao ’25, who was tasked to lead the discussions. “I was really nervous, but I knew I had to be myself.”

Chaminade sophmore La’a Gamiao ’25 moderated the discussion themed “Spirit in the Time of Radical Change.”

Established in 2003 and named in honor of Yoshiaki Fujitani, a past president of BDK Hawaii, the program in the past has featured lectures, which were either usually based on a single speaker or based on panel discussions during which each panelist is given the floor to present his/her religious perspectives. The presentations would be followed by discussion among the panelists, and later opened to the audience for a Q&A session. 

“I was involved with the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith program years before Brother Bernie (Ploeger, Chaminade’s fomer President) stopped me in the hallway of Henry Hall and asked me to take over the program,” recalled Sr. Malia Wong, D.Min, Program Director for Chaminade’s BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program. “He knew of my long involvement with the interfaith community in Hawaii and globally, but I felt I wasn’t ready to assume the position—especially moderating—and I deferred the position to Regina Pfeiffer.

In 2017, Cheryl Edelson, Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Design, asked associate professor Pfeiffer, D.Min., to fill the role as the head of Religious Studies. “Thus, I formally became program director of the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program, finally fulfilling Bro. Bernie’s wishes,” Wong laughed.

Upon the suggestion of Manulani Meyer, a moderator would be appointed to ask the question to the panelists, who would then be given a chance to respond. Wong explained that this format took a lot more preparation on the back end, not being quite sure how to organize the program so that it flows.

“Thus, I designed it with La‘a as the host and at the helm asking questions, and allowing discussions to grow organically.” Wong said. “The last part of the program included networking and continuing the conversation on the lanai with vegan pupu. It was like being with family and friends with the ease of interaction among guests of the different faith traditions. This will be our new format going forward—open to adaptation and change, a Marianist characteristic of education.”

For someone who has never moderated a discussion, La‘a was grateful that he was chosen as the first student host, despite his initial fears and nervous shakes.

“If you don’t answer, you’ll never know your character,” said Gamiao of agreeing to be the discussion’s moderator. “I put myself out there and the fact that I said yes, I think, says a lot about my character.”

Commencement Address

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Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01 delivers keynote speech

She had him at Chaminade. For many senior high-school students, trying to determine where to attend college depends on several factors: cost, location, size, personal interests, campus life, graduation rates and the potential return on investment. However, for Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01, the primary reason he chose Chaminade University was simple—he met a girl.

“I know it sounds shallow, but it’s the truth,” said Kawakami, this year’s 65th Commencement keynote speaker. “But knowing what I know now about Chaminade, I would have chosen it 1,000 times over any college in the country.”

The son of the late Charles and Arlene Kawakami, Mayor Kawakami is a third-generation Kaua‘i resident, and is now serving his second term as the Garden Isle’s chief executive officer. Having shepherded the island through a once-in-a-century pandemic and now through recovery, Kawakami does not shy away from the necessary hard work of what he calls, “the people’s business.” The physically fit 46-year-old is a no-nonsense-type of leader who likes to roll up his sleeves, get into his steel-toe-capped boots and don his hard hat at the drop of a dime.

During COVID, he was forced to make a series of difficult—and, at times, unpopular—decisions, including lockdowns, turning public camp sites into Safe Zones to prevent the spread of the virus, enforcing mandatory vaccine mandates and curfews, and instituting strict protocols and safety measures. Yet, through it all, he became widely known, erroneously by the way, as the TikTok mayor. A 30-second clip that he posted went viral on Twitter and not the aforementioned social media site. In the video, he performs an amusing dance and a card trick, then encourages people to wash their hands. It was all an effort, he said, to break the monotony of staying home.

With his wife Monica by his side, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami was sworn in for his first term by Kaua‘i Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano. (Photos courtesy County of Kauai)
Mayor Kawakami welcomed 11 new firefighters with the Kauai Fire Department. (Courtesy of County of Kauai)
Mayor Kawakami enjoys meeting and greeting his constituents from across the island. (Photo courtesy of Friends of Derek Kawakami)
The Twitter video that went viral.
Mayor Kawakami knew from a young age that he wanted to serve the people of Kauai. (Photo courtesy of Amanda C. Gregg)
Members of Mayor Kawakami’s cabinet.
Mayor Derek Kawakami during a groundbreaking ceremony.
Mayor Derek Kawakami during a groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Friends of Derek Kawakami)
Monica and Derek Kawakami enjoy participating in community events, including the long-running Taste of Hawaii.

“I have to say my wife put me up to it and my daughter instigated it,” Kawakami chuckled. “We just wanted to help people get through some tough times, we wanted to do it together, and at the end of the day, we wanted people to feel like they mattered and that we cared about them.”

He attributes this empathy as one of the values he learned while completing his bachelor’s degree at Chaminade, where his now-wife, Monica nee DeBusca Lizama, also graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2001 and a master’s in education in 2003. A self-described average “C” student, Kawakami evoked the memory of several Chaminade professors, who made an impact in his life, during his commencement address.

One such individual was the late Marlene Baker, who enjoyed a 45-year career in the Students Success and Records office. Kawakami said he would bring Kauai cookies to her so that she would build him a favorable schedule, quipping that was probably his first sign of being a politician. Henry Gomes, or “Uncle Henry” as Kawakami affectionately refers to the late revered professor, would talk to him about “country-kine things,” and made him feel like it was perfectly OK to just be him. Then there was recently retired Yukio Ozaki, who opted not to cancel an art class, even though enrollment plummeted from 15-20 students to a lone Kawakami overnight.

“Now that I have 20/20 hindsight vision, what I’m about to say is the last thing my professors would want to hear,” Kawakami said. “As the sands of time have passed, some of the knowledge, some of the details of the countless hours of classroom lessons, lectures and knowledge have faded. But what has remained is how the power of the human element can change the trajectory of one person’s life. All it takes is just one person. One person that believes in someone and is willing to invest time, effort and kindness can uplift a community.”

It’s with this indomitable spirit that helps inform Kawakami’s leadership. He cited three principles that he follows: 1) Act in good faith, which helps build trust; 2) always act with the community’s best interest; and 3) establish a sound, prudent process of decision making.

“Not everyone will agree, but I can defend my position,” Kawakami asserted. “Compromise is an art, and by compromise, I don’t mean consensus, which, when I hear, often tells me that things are not going to move forward.”

Life for Kawakami has certainly had a forward momentum. When he graduated from Chaminade, his first job was a grocery clerk for Longs Drugs Kaimuki. The pay was $200 per week, and his duties included sweeping the floors, stocking the shelves and racks with those familiar yellow books, and whatever needed to be done.

“I had to put my business degree to work,” Kawakami said. “I started at the entry level, but that’s how I thought it would work. Just because I had a degree didn’t mean I was going to start at a higher level. My degree was supposed to give me the tools to get to that next level, and it did.”

One day, he received a call from his dad, asking him to come home to help out in their own grocery store. His dad told him If he could work at Longs, then certainly he can work at the family’s own enterprise. However, there was one problem: Monica was pursuing her master’s, and she wasn’t about to quit and return to Kauai. So, she proposed an ultimatum: He had to marry her.

“I went to Kahala Mall and applied for a loan, which was my first loan ever,” Kawakami recalled. “I qualified for $9,000—which was big bucks back then for me who was making $200 a week—and I went upstairs to a diamond specialist, and chose an engagement ring.”

Married now to Monica for 20 years, the couple has two children, Hailee and Christopher. A dedicated family man, Kawakami praises his family for their support throughout his two terms as Kauai’s Mayor, as well as his years of service on the State Legislature. He also credits his experience at Chaminade as helping shape his style of leadership.

“I have a lot of clear memories of my time at Chaminade, and the people who made an impact on my life; the faculty and staff truly cared for us,” Kawakami said. “I gained a worldly view of different cultures, and how to appreciate our differences.”

And despite all the pressures of governing, Kawakami said, from a pressure standpoint, being the Commencement keynote speaker was a big one.

“If I were to go back to my 20- or 21-year-old self, and be told that I was going to be the Commencement speaker at Chaminade one day, I would have said ‘Get out of here!’” Kawakami said. “I never imagined a picture in which I would be in a position speaking to the graduating class and their families. I’m grateful for this opportunity to come back around and to be part of this Commencement.”

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami ’01 shared his memories of Chaminade while a student majoring in business administration.