Board of Directors and Staff
HIDA’s all-volunteer Board of Directors meets regularly during the year to manage the operation of the Branch. Current Board Members are:
Officers:
ISHII, Betty (President)
Partner, Char Sakamoto Ishii Lum & Ching
KLEVANSKY, Simon (Vice President)
Partner, Klevansky Piper Van Etten
SCHONLEBER, Nanette (Sheri; Secretary)
Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, Department of Curriculum Studies, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
DAWSON, Steve (Treasurer)
Professor of Finance, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
Members At Large:
ALEXANDER, Shirley
General Manager, Ticketmaster Hawai'i
BLISS, Joy
COO/Marketing Director, Aesthetica Plastic & Laser Surgery Center
BRIDGEWATER BORG, Jyo
K-8 Principal, Assets School
CHUN-HOON, Camille
Attorney; Community Volunteer
DUFFY, Shannon Patrick
Senior Systems Engineer, Century Computers
FERGUSON, Kathy
Professor, Department of Political Science & Women’s Studies Program, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
FURUYA, Carol
Community Volunteer
HIGHAM, John
Civil Engineer; Real Estate Development
LLOYD, Kate
Vice President and General Counsel, Hawai'i Community Foundation
NAKAMURA, Lisa
Teacher, Assets School
SUNAHARA, Wayne
Disability Specialist-Student ACCESS, University of Hawai'i-Honolulu Community College
WONG, Mary
Partner, Ashford & Wriston Attorneys at Law
Program and Office Management
Margaret J. Higa, M.S.C.P.
mhiga@dyslexia-hawaii.org
Communication and Development
Susan Walker Kowen, J.D.
hida@dyslexia-hawaii.org
CAL SAKATA – HIDA VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE
In Memoriam
Former HIDA Board member and longtime DOE Special Education teacher Cal Sakata lost his five year battle with cancer this past July. Cal was a beloved teacher who served on the HIDA Board from 1996 through 2001, and again from 2003 through 2007. In 2002, he was selected as HIDA’s Volunteer of the Year. Cal’s memorial service was a testament to the many people he touched throughout his life. The overflowing crowd of over 500 people included his family, friends, colleagues and students. It was a festive atmosphere filled with loving stories of Cal, punctuated by tears and laughter. The chapel and crowd were adorned with images of Mickey Mouse. Cal had requested that everyone wear something with Mickey Mouse on it to honor one of his idols - Walt Disney*. According to Leandra Pace, Cal’s longtime co-worker and dear friend who delivered the eulogy, one of Walt Disney’s quotes became Cal’s motto: “If you can dream it, you can do it!”
Click here to download and read the eulogy in its entirety.
*HIDA has learned that according to the Walt Disney Family Museum, there is no indication anywhere in Walt's history that he had dyslexia.
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