Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 November 2009 — Enomoto, Bernardino appointed to new leadership positions [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Enomoto, Bernardino appointed to new leadership positions

ByT. Ilihia Gionson Publications Editor Stanton Enomoto and Mona Bemardino have moved into new leadership positions as part of the Offiee of Hawaiian Affairs' transition to a new structure under OHA's new strategic plan. Enomoto was named chief operating officer and Bernardino was named executive director of Hi'ilei Aloha LLC. As COO, Enomoto will help guide the implementation of OHA's strategic plan intended as an efficient and effective blueprint for the betterment of Native Hawaiians in the key areas of eeonomie self-sufficiency, health, education, culture, land and water, and governance. "OHA bv statute is resnonsible

l for advocating for the betterment h of Native Hawaiians. That's part of | who we are," Enomoto said. "We I will need to look at the work we do in a different light. We will be held to performing at a level where we ean monitor our outputs for | results." "I see this plan as an opportunity and a realistic one, but it is not īī/itnAnt 1-1 C'\^ if 10 ĪT /imAiil

WHllUUl JLJLŌIY, ailU. II lō ĪIUL WlUiUUl hard work by all involved," he said. "As mueh as we at OHA will do our best to assemble knowledge, manage our assets and advocate for change in six priority areas, I think there needs to be as mueh response from the Native Hawaiian community to want to change." Since 2006, Enomoto has served as an adviser to OHA's senior leadership as a special projects manager and resource administrator for OHA's division managers. Bernardino will lead Hi'ilei Aloha LLC, an entity established in 2007 to further the purposes of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs through its subsidiaries. Hi'ipaka LLC, whieh stewards 0'ahu's Waimea Valley, and Hi'ipoi LLC, whieh operates Kaua'i's Makaweli Poi Lactory, are the first two Hi'ilei Aloha ventures. Bernardino will also be responsible for expanding the number of start-up ventures that Hi'ilei Aloha incubates. "Hi'ilei Aloha LLC and its subsidiaries will help to further OHA's mission by helping Native Hawaiian businesses and nonprofits to succeed," said Bernardino, who has worked for OHA since 2003, most recently serving as deputy administrator overseeing OHA's heahh, education, housing, human services and grants areas. "Statistics show that communities who have educational and eeonomie opportunities ean attain stability in housing and build strong families. They earn more money, they have better heahh and they live longer." Bernardino said she is looking forward to applying entrepreneurial concepts to helping beneficiaries. "In some ways, it's an empowerment model rather than an entitlement model," she said. "It's working with business owners and nonprofit board members and their staff to see the various opportunities there are and put them to use for the Hawaiian community."B Read Q&A 's with Enomolo and Bemardino in the October edition of Ka Wai Ola Loa, online at oha.org/kwo/loa/2009/10.

Bernardino

Ēnomoto