Board of Directors

President, Sponsorship & Organizational Collaborations Chair

Michael Robinson

Hawaii Pacific Health

Mike is the Vice President, Government Relations & Community Affairs for Hawai'i Pacific Health (HPH) where he has served for the last 25 years.  Mike leads HPH’s government relations and community engagement efforts for the non-profit health care system. Hawai‘i Pacific Health is a not-for-profit health care system comprised of its four medical centers – Kapi‘olani, Pali Momi, Straub and Wilcox and more than 70 convenient locations statewide with a mission of creating a healthier Hawai‘i.

Mike is engaged with a number of organizations who share a common mission of creating a healthier Hawai‘i as Chair of the Healthcare Association of Hawai‘i Political Action Committee and as a Board member of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, March of Dimes-Hawai‘i Chapter, Alzheimer’s Association, and Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

Mike is a graduate of Maryknoll High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Economics and Government and received his MA in Economics and MBA from the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa, and Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law.

Membership & Nominating Committee Chair

Samantha Haas

WestPac Wealth Partners

Samantha has been with WestPac Wealth Partners since 2010 and is a Financial Advisor and Certified Exit Planning Advisor.  She holds a BA from the George Washington University. 

Samantha currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Honolulu, The Aloha Association of Association Execs, Friends of CASA Hawaii, and is a member of several other trade association committees.

Secretary, Conference Co-Chair

Jennifer Chun

DBEDT

Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair

Lea Nakamura

First Hawaiian Bank

• Executive Vice President & Deputy Chief Risk Officer, First Hawaiian Bank
• Former First Hawaiian Bank Treasurer, Senior Vice President & Division Manager, Treasury Division
• Former Bank of Hawaii Senior Vice President & Senior Treasury Officer, Treasury Division
• BSFS Georgetown in Economics/Asian Studies

Director, Conference & Events Chair

Seth Colby

DBEDT - READ

Seth Colby serves as Director of Finance for the Hawai'i Department of Budget and Finance, where he oversees the state budget and financial planning. He previously held senior economic policy roles as Chief State Economist at the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and as Tax Research & Planning Officer at the Department of Taxation. Earlier in his career, he worked in economic and social development across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa with the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a PhD in Political Economy from Johns Hopkins University. Seth served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Director

Miroslav Gabrovski

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Miroslav Gabrovski is an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Hawai`i at Manoa. His research interests lie in Macroeconomics. Professor Gabrovski is particularly interested in furthering our understanding of how search costs and other frictions affect the housing market, asset prices, business cycle fluctuations, and unemployment. He has received a number of awards and honors and is a published researcher.

Director

Mike Hamasu

Colliers International

Michael Hamasu serves as Director of Consulting & Research at Colliers International, where he established the firm’s real estate consulting practice. During his tenure Colliers has provided assistance for more than $2 billion in commercial development and investment activity throughout the state. His name is synonymous with local market analysis.

Director

Lesley Harvey

Hawaii Department of Agriculture

Lesley is the Hawaii Department of Agriculture Grant Writing Specialist and a long-time private consultant for small businesses and nonprofits. She holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and a Bachelor’s in International Business. As the founder of Grant Writing & Consulting and principal of The Hawaii Business Consultancy, Lesley has helped clients secure over $70 million in funding. Passionate about economic development and community impact, she has worked with organizations globally. A dedicated volunteer, she is active in the community.

Director

Gladys Marrone

Nareit Hawaii

• Executive Director, Nareit Hawai'i
• REIT industry's chief spokesperson in Hawai'i
• Former CEO & Chief Lobbyist, Building Industry Association of Hawaiʻi (BIA Hawaiʻi)
• Former Government Relations Director, BIA Hawaiʻi
• JD University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Richardson School of Law
• BS USC in Public Administration

Director

Rosetta Narvaez

RTNarvaez Consulting LLC

Rosetta Narvaez is Vice President, Head of Model Risk, Bank of Hawaii since returning to
Hawaii in 2014. She has held diverse bank Management positions in the U.S. She is Board Treasurer of Self Help Housing. She holds an MA in Economics, American University, W.DC and undergraduate degrees from Chaminade.

Director

Gerald A. Sumida

Carlsmith Ball LLP

Gerry Sumida is a Partner at Carlsmith Ball LLP. Formerly, he served as General Counsel for the Asian Development Bank, Manila. He is a member of the American and Hawaii Bar Associations, Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and American Society of International Law. He is also the President of the Foundation for DKI Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a Director of the Pacific Forum International, and a Director of the American Red Cross-Hawaii State Chapter.

Director

Laron Tamaye

First Hawaiian Bank

Laron Tamaye has over a decade of experience in bank credit risk and analytics. While serving as HEA's Treasurer, he is also a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at First Hawaiian Bank and an Early College Economics lecturer for Maryknoll High School.

Director

Alan Yonan

Hawaiian Electric Company

Alan is a senior corporate communications specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company where he helps manage external communications for the state's largest electric utility. Prior to joining Hawaiian Electric Alan was the public information officer for the Hawaii State Energy Office where he oversaw the internal and external communications for the agency charged with facilitating Hawaii's clean energy transformation. Alan also worked as a journalist for many years in Hawaii and on the Mainland and in Asia.

Association Support Consultant

Mary Ah-Wong

HI Resource Service