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.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Board of Trustees of the JAIMS Foundation. Nationally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of State Chambers (COSC), the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), and Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE), as well as on the U.S. Chamber’s Committee of 100. 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.
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).
Administration
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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.
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M. Ali Meza I. is the Administrative Coordinator at the Chamber and provides administrative support to the Chamber’s Operations and Membership departments and assists other Chamber departments.
In her role 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.
Membership
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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.
Director of Membership Services
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Communications & Advocacy
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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.
Director of Communications
(808) 380-2605
Workforce Development
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.
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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.
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As the Manager of Education, Sophia is responsible for working in partnership with the Chamber’s Director of WBL in support of career exploration and workforce development for students at select Hawaii Department of Education schools. These WBL engagements include but are not limited to virtual career fairs, job site visits, project-based learning activities, guest speakers, and securing in-person/virtual internships.
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
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.
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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.
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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
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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.