Sherry Menor-McNamara, CCE

Sherry Menor-McNamara, CCE

President & CEO


(808) 380-2609
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Sherry Menor-McNamara was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii on September 1, 2013. She is the youngest and first female President and CEO in the Chamber’s 173-year history, as well as the first Asian to serve as the leader of a State Chamber in the nation. 

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She has lived in several major cities, including Tokyo, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and London, working for a wide variety of companies, including: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Estee Lauder Company, Field Group, Elton John Production and “60 Minutes” news magazine show. Her government-related work includes positions with the Hawaii State Legislature, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka and the Executive Office of the United States President.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Nationally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and on the U.S. Chamber’s Committee of 100. She previously served on the boards of Council of State Chambers (COSC), the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), and Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE). Under her leadership, the Chamber won the 2018 ACCE State Chamber of the Year, and in 2019, won two national Council of State Chambers awards.

Sherry is a 2016 graduate of the Omidyar Fellows Leadership Program, founded by eBay’s Pierre Omidyar. She was inducted into the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business Hall of Honors, received the Girl Scouts of Hawaii Women of Distinction, and the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s Business Executive of the Year. In 2017, she was honored with the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation Award and, in 2015, was selected to represent the United States in the Korea Foundation’s Program for Distinguished Individuals in Economy. In 2014, she was recognized as one of the “Top 10 People to Watch” by Pacific Business News. In 2012, she was named one of the “Top 20 People to Watch” by Hawaii Business magazine. Menor-McNamara was also inducted as a Laureate into the 2014 Class of the Junior Achievement of Hawaii Hall of Fame. Additionally, in 2014, she was selected and participated in the prestigious Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs leadership program.

Menor-McNamara earned a certificate in “Expanding Impact in Advocacy” from the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education. She received her juris doctorate degree from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law and her Master of Business Administration from UH’s Shidler College of Business. She also pursued graduate study in public administration at the University of Southern California (USC) and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Menor-McNamara was born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, where she graduated from Waiakea High School. She is married to John McNamara, SVP of Communications and Marketing for Hawaii Pacific Health. She is a certified yoga teacher and enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with her husband and dogs, Kuma-chan and Bubbles.

ADMINISTRATION

Licia Hill

Licia Hill

Vice President, Operations & Programs


(808) 380-2604
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Licia Hill manages the Chamber’s overall operations and several of the organization’s program initiatives, and  is responsible for communication and administrative duties with the Chamber’s board of directors. She also serves as Public Health Fund administrator. She brings more than 20 years of executive support and development experience to the Chamber.

She previously served as executive assistant with the Hawaii Community Foundation providing support in board and client relations, annual budget planning, meeting and event logistics, and communications. Licia has also worked at Castle Medical Center and Hawaii Pacific Health in executive administrative positions.

In her spare time she enjoys cooking, yoga and spending time with family and friends.  She also volunteers for several community nonprofits.

Nicole Dudley

Nicole Dudley

Associate Director of Finance


(808) 380-2619

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Membership

Tyler Hunt

Tyler Hunt

Associate Vice President, Membership Services


(808) 380-2613
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As Associate Vice President of Membership Services, Tyler Hunt is responsible for new membership sales and retention, and for developing strategic initiatives and partnerships to meet membership growth and revenue objectives.

Tyler has held business development and marketing positions in the HR outsourcing, healthcare and tourism industries in Hawaii, and is committed to helping the local business community thrive.

In his spare time, Tyler enjoys sailing and surfing.

Ali Meza

Ali Meza

Manager of Membership Services


(808) 380-2616
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As the Manager of Membership Services Ali assists with member inquiries, processing member applications, handles incoming payments and distributes member informational packets.

Ali comes from a diverse background having supported a range of organizations in fields such as Marketing, Building Maintenance, Finance and Automotive. She has a passion for community and the arts, fueling her background in volunteerism and community involvement.

Ali has been recognized by the Long Beach California Mayor Robert Garcia, the former California State Senator Jenny Oropeza and the U.S. House of Representatives for Outstanding Achievement and Academic and Civic Leadership.

Communications & Advocacy

Eliza Talbot

Eliza Talbot

Vice President, Business Advocacy & Community Relations


(808) 380-2605
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Eliza’s background includes state and local government work as well as advocacy and community engagement for notable companies in the private sector including Ko Olina Resort, Hawaii Public Policy Advocates and Hitachi Rail. She also served as Chief of Staff for the West Oahu City Council District.

In 2022, Eliza was appointed by Mayor Rick Blangiardi to serve on the newly formed Economic Revitalization Commission for the City and County of Honolulu. She is a former Board Member of the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce and in 2021, she founded and became Chair of the Business Revitalization Task Force of West Oahu. In 2021, she was recognized by Pacific Business News as “40 under 40” and “Who and What to Watch in 2022”. Eliza received an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California. She earned a Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Hawaii.

Nadia Garcia

Nadia Garcia

Government Relations Manager


(808) 380-2608
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Kira Diehm

Kira Diehm

Manager, Marketing & Communications


(808) 380-2620
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Kira Diehm is the marketing and communications manager for the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. In this role she is responsible for managing the social media accounts, producing the weekly e-newsletter, and assisting with podcast production.

Before joining the Chamber, Kira was a producer at KITV4 Island News. She produced the 10 p.m. weekday newscast for two years. In this role she built the show, coordinated with on-air talent, and wrote stories. She was also a part of the KITV4 Island Sports production team, where she wrote highlights and interviewed players and coaches.

Kira graduated from Indiana University with a degree Bachelor’s in journalism and sustainable business. During her time at school, she interned with WarnerMedia on the internal communications team. Kira enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, and writing.

Workforce Development

Keala Peters

Keala Peters

Executive Vice President, Education & Workforce Development Executive Director, Sector Partnerships


(808) 380-2612
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As Vice President of Education & Workforce Development and Executive Director of Sector Partnerships, Keala Peters is responsible for the Chamber’s education-related strategic initiatives that help bridge business with education in support of a strong talent pipeline for Hawaii.

Through Sector Partnerships, Keala helps to convene industry executives and solve for Hawaii’s complex workforce development and economic development issues. Keala and her team also support the strategic efforts of Hawaii’s educators by coordinating high quality work-based learning opportunities that prepare students for college and career readiness in an innovation economy.

Keala has extensive experience as a community builder, collaborator and communications executive in both the private and non-profit sectors on the mainland and here at home in Hawaii. She brings her experience at Nike, Inc., Microsoft, Hawaii Pacific Health and The Queen’s Health Systems to the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.

As a Native Hawaiian woman born and raised in Honolulu, Keala is a strong advocate for Hawaii families and believes that everyone should have access to a high quality education and that education is the foundation for success. She is actively involved in supporting the HEC CHANGE initiative’s higher education sector and serves on the boards of the Institute for Human Services and the YWCA of Oahu.

Vanessa Rogers

Vanessa Rogers

Associate Vice President of Workforce Development


(808) 380-0116
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As Associate Vice President of Workforce Development, Vanessa Rogers is responsible for increasing the local talent pipeline by connecting Hawaii employers to qualified jobseekers. Through her work managing talent pipelines and supporting Sector Partnerships, she plays a key role in preparing and connecting Hawaii’s residents to in demand, family sustaining careers allowing kamaaina to thrive in Hawaii.   

Driven by a passion for educational equity and professional development, Vanessa has spent her career in educational leadership, program management, staffing, and workforce development consultancy. Prior to joining the Chamber, Vanessa spent nearly a decade working at a national workforce development non-profit, Year Up, where she held positions as a Business Communications Instructor, Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Academics. 

Vanessa grew up in Seattle, Washington and received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon. She loves adventure and travel and spent a few years teaching English abroad in the Czech Republic and Japan before landing in New York City where she worked professionally for 10 years. In 2020, she decided to relocate her family to Hawaii and make this their home.

She currently lives in Mililani and loves to spend time outside with her three little boys.

McKenna Dale

McKenna Dale

Manager, Workforce Development


(808) 380-2606
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As the Workforce Development Manager, McKenna is responsible for supporting local job seekers find meaningful employment and on the job training in emerging industries. In her role supporting sector partnerships and grant partner programming, McKenna promotes opportunities and successes to job seekers and stakeholders through Hawaii is Hiring media channels.

McKenna grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and earned her bachelor’s degree in Global Studies with a focus on Human Rights from the University of Minnesota. She came to Hawaii in 2021 with Teach for America, spending two years teaching 9th grade special education at James Campbell High School. She earned her master’s in Education; Instructional Leadership at Chaminade University. McKenna is dedicated to public service and dismantling barriers of access to high quality education and employment; especially, for those in underrepresented communities. She is eager to contribute to the expansion of local industry and employment opportunities for Kama’aina to the ends of developing a more equitable and diversified economy for Hawaii.

McKenna studied abroad in Brazil after high school and is passionate about travel and intercultural education. In her free time, she loves surfing, running, and sewing.

Education

Lord Ryan Lizardo

Lord Ryan Lizardo

Associate Vice President of Education


(808) 380-2607
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As the Director of Work-Based Learning, Lord Ryan Lizardo is responsible for connecting schools and businesses together for seamless workforce development opportunities for Hawaii’s youth. As intermediary, Lord Ryan creates access to partnerships, resources, internship opportunities and virtual/in-person connections to develop a pipeline from middle school to high school to post-secondary in order to nurture Hawaii’s future workforce.

Lord Ryan grew up in Ewa Beach and earned his undergraduate degree in integrated educational studies at Chapman University and master’s degree in secondary education at Johns Hopkins University. He brings to the Chamber over six years of experience as a teacher. During that time, he served as the academy of public and human services lead developing the identity and development of the culinary, education, and travel/tourism pathways and advised the Class of 2020 and Rainbow Sabers club. He also has four years of experience working with Teach for America coaching teachers in diversity, equity and inclusion and culturally relevant instruction. As a deep believer in equity and social justice in education to dismantle systemic oppression, Lord Ryan hopes to bring his wealth of knowledge to advocate for Hawaii’s youth.

In his free time, he spends quality time with friends and family.

Sophia Wibholm

Sophia Wibholm

Manager of Education


(808) 380-2615
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As the Education Manager, Sophia is responsible for working in partnership with the Chamber’s Associate Vice President in support of career awareness, exploration, preparation, and training for students at select Hawaii Department of Education schools. These WBL engagements include but are not limited to guest speakers, field trips, industry-specific mock job interviews, capstone judges, job shadows, internships, certifications, and educator externships.

Sophia grew up on a farm in north central Iowa. She earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Iowa State University. Sophia joined Teach for America Hawaii in 2018 and was placed at Maili Elementary in Waianae, where she taught third grade for four years. Sophia is passionate about all students receiving an excellent education, despite their zip code. She is excited to help students pave a way towards a bright future with work-based learning opportunities.

Sophia earned her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from Colorado Christian University. In her free time she enjoys any outdoor activity, reading, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Events & YP

Tricia Fetui

Tricia Fetui

Vice President, Events & Programs Executive Director, Young Professionals Program


(808) 380-2611
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Tricia Fetui is Vice President of Events & Programs at the Chamber, and Executive Director of the Young Professionals Program. In her role, Fetui oversees the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s events and programs, along with the YP Program. She previously worked at the Aloha Council Boy Scouts Hawaii, Guam and America Samoa, March of Dimes Hawaii, The Queen’s Health Systems, The Madden Corporation and Central Pacific Bank.

Fetui received her BS in Business Administration and Management from Hope International University in Fullerton, CA, where she played women’s collegiate volleyball.

Marisa Pangan-Hosokawa

Marisa Pangan-Hosokawa

Manager, Events & Special Projects


(808) 380-2368
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Marisa Pangan-Hosokawa is the Events & Special Projects Manager at the Chamber. In her role Marisa assists with the planning and coordination of the Chamber’s activities along with assisting with the content and graphic creation for digital marketing and social media. Marisa previously worked for Inception Design as an Account Manager and Raynor Hawaii Overhead Doors and Gates Inc. as a Marketing Intern.

Marisa is a recent college graduate, receiving her BBA in Marketing & International Business and MS in Marketing Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. She is inspired by good works, passion and the ability to grow from any situation.

Kaya Ishimine

Kaya Ishimine

Coordinator, Young Professionals Program


(808) 380-2368
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Kaya Ishimine is the Coordinator of the Young Professionals Program at the Chamber and provides administrative support to the YP Program. In her role, Kaya assists with the planning and coordination of YP programs and activities and supports program growth and development, along with assisting with the content and graphic creation for digital marketing and social media.

Kaya recently interned for a summer at the Marriott Grand Chateau in Las Vegas, Nevada where she was an Activities Coordinator.

Kaya was born and raised in Ewa Beach and graduated from James Campbell High School. She is currently pursuing a double Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management and Marketing at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. She enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with family and friends. Kaya looks forward to one day being able to travel the world.

Military Affairs

Jason Chung, Col. (Ret.)

Jason Chung, Col. (Ret.)

Vice President, Military Affairs


(808) 380-2608
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As Vice President for Military Affairs, Jason Chung’s role is to be an effective advocate to promote, preserve and protect military missions and installations in Hawaii and be the bridge that links the military to the local community, businesses and government.

He recently retired after 36 years of service in the U.S. Army. He started his military career here in Hawaii, serving in both the Hawaii Army National Guard and Army Reserves. After graduating from the University of Hawaii, he served in multiple units, the 25th Infantry Division, 1/509th Parachute Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division, 2ID, Joint Special Operation Command, United States Forces Korea, a U.S. Army Pacific Command, and has tours with the Central Intelligence Agency and the Director of National Intelligence.

Jason earned an executive certificate in data science from John Hopkins. He holds a BA from the University of Hawaii and an MBA from Baker University.

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