President and CEO Oahu Economic Development Board, Advisor and Coach for the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science at UCLA.
Although Pono claims to have no background in economic development he was asked to take the leadership of OEDB in 2009 when the Board considered the option of closing the doors of the company. Today OEDB is recognized as one of the premiere leadership hubs in Hawaii.
In 2012, Pono successfully led the efforts of Punawai O Puuhonua’s New Market Tax Credit Application and was awarded a $40 Million allocation for Economic Development in Low Income Communities for Hawaii. In 2016, his team was awarded another allocation of $55 Million.
His knowledge and skills have been sought by every sector of Hawaii’s economy and he has served and continues to serve on various Boards in Hawaii including the Hawaii Public Housing Authority where he is the Chairman.
He considers his exposure to Hawaii leadership philosophies as a child to be the backbone to his ideas, actions, and words. Pono is a living kidney donor and was the closing speaker for the Earth Day Summit sponsored by EEx in April 2018. He is the Advisor and Coach for the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science at UCLA. Pono and Dawn have been married for 32 years and their daughter Chantele recently returned to Los Angeles from China where she worked for 5 years.
Pono will be speaking on Day 1 on Aloha Connects.
