The past several months have been such a rewarding experience for me. Jennifer, Erica, Bronson, and myself have been working hard to rebuild Envision Hawaii’s board of directors. In the beginning, I was very afraid that Envision Hawaii may not have a bright future ahead. But many thanks to recommendations from departing board members, referrals from the community, and individuals like yourself, we were able to bring together yet another dynamic and impressive group from various backgrounds and experiences to lead Envision Hawaii.

It is with great honor and privilege that I announce to you the 2012 board of directors:

With that said, we’ll be taking some time over the next couple of months to reevaluate Envision Hawaii’s programs and plan for a direction moving forward. So please stay tuned for additional news from us. We may have some new partnerships and programs to announce, but want to ensure that our all-volunteer board has the capacity and the ability to implement each program to its fullest potential. We’ll be using this time to make sure we lay the groundwork for a strong and vibrant program.

On behalf of the board of directors, we look forward to serving you and the community once again. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or comments for us, please let us know.

Kyle Datta, Partner at Ulupono Initiative, engaged the First Tuesday audience in a discussion about creating positive shifts in Hawaii.  The challenge in fostering a risk-taking culture was noted.   Jennifer Dotson of MADD Hawaii indicated that the nonprofit sector in particular struggles with risk, especially during challenging economic times where resources are scarce.  Datta indicated that collaboration is one way to mitigating risk.

Perhaps what Hawaii needs is to focus on bridging the silos that exist between industry, nonprofits, government, and the next generation of leaders.  One of Envision Hawaii’s newest efforts is to bring young professionals together in groups called YIMBY’s (yes in my back yard) to encourage networking, co-mentoring, and collaboration.  Learn more about our YIMBY groups at the December First Tuesday where will will have an informal discussion with current participants. Stay tuned for details.