New Beginnings!

As I come up on my 4th Anniversary (June 17th) with the H.T. Hayashi Foundation, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to let everyone know of New Beginnings on the horizon!

Over the past year, I have been working with our Board on refining their grantmaking and community impact strategy. As that work begins to crystalize, it was clear to me, and the Board agreed with my recommendation, that the role of an Executive Director is no longer needed. We are still working on finalizing a future staffing strategy. With that shift, I will be departing from the foundation. There is no specific end date yet, but I aim to transition out of the role by the end of July or August of this year. 

These past four years have been irreplaceable in many ways. When they found me, I was coming out of a period of extreme burnout (12 ½ years as a nonprofit provider CEO/ED with no break and little self-care discipline will do that to you) through no fault of anyone's but my own. I have spent the better part of these last four years in a work environment and with a boss (Corine Hayashi) that has allowed me to reset, take care of my health, reconnect with family and friends, and work with an executive coach (the fabulous Alison Zecha ) to understand how to avoid similar burnout pitfalls in future complex, chaotic and stress-filled work scenarios.

As I prepare to exit, it is my great hope, as with any job I have left, that I leave it better and more "whole" than when I arrived. I have enjoyed working with nonprofits in a different capacity, bringing my knowledge, experience, and trust capital to the table and supporting meaningful community impact work across the State. 

As I have told many of our grantees and former grantees when giving them the news, I have profound respect for nonprofits' work (#nonprofitsmatter), not just as organizations but their leaders as nonprofit Executive Directors/CEOs. Leading in the nonprofit sector is not for the faint of heart. I believe the only other people in the world who truly understand the landscape you have to navigate, the stressors and emotions you have to manage, and the unique-to-the-sector challenges you face are other nonprofit leaders. Serving in your shoes is the only way to understand and know truly; until then, it's an academic exercise. For these reasons, part of what I have enjoyed most is getting to know the community of nonprofits better. I have appreciated your work and our many safe-space conversations born out of mutual trust and respect. I do not hold that trust lightly.

What has also been a blessing, is the opportunity to get to know and learn from other people working in philanthropy either as staff or the philanthropists themselves. These are rock solid individuals, who are not only smart, but grounded in community, committed to community empowerment, eager for collaboration, willing to cede control and take risks on new partners and new ideas, and who live in a space of humble servant-leadership. The evolution of the philanthropic sector in Hawaii through a global pandemic has been inspiring to witness first-hand.

Finally, I am in the middle of searching for "what's next," so I do not have that answer for those of you who have asked. What I do know are my parameters, which are primarily about my "want" list, and not so much my "can" and "should" lists. I've spent the better part of my career living in the columns of "can" and "should," and I am intent on having whatever is next be in that "want" column. I am excited about where I will land, and I appreciate all of you who have reached out to share news about opportunities, ask questions, give feedback, etc. All of it is very much valued, so keep it coming!