Movers and Shakas

Cohort 6 of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program kicked off with an orientation followed by cultural education and community workday at Ka'ala Farm located in Wai'anae. Our new cohort of 25 participants had the opportunity to meet each other as well as learn about the traditional Hawaiian agricultural system while working to restore and produce kalo in the lo'i as our ancestors did for centuries. Mahalo to Ka'ala Farm for their continued partnership in helping acculturate our new leaders to Hawaii. To sign up for our newsletter for news and updates about upcoming cohorts and events, please visit https://lnkd.in/gkfxsqAJ.

Earlier this month, a group of our HITOP alumni along with their partners and kids volunteered to assist Helping Hands Hawaii sort, organize and log hundreds of school supplies and other donations to distribute to families in need. This community project is the first of many that our alumni board is planning this year going into next year. The alumni board was formed earlier this year by graduates of HITOP cohorts 1-5 as a way to continue engagement in the community as newly relocated residents of Hawai'i.

Limited spots are still available for Cohort 6 beginning this Fall! Registration closes Friday, August 2. Mahalo to Stephanie Salmons for this recent story on our upcoming cohort. For more information or to register, please email Executive Director Nicole Lim at nicole@moversandshakas.org. https://lnkd.in/gDf-FKUz

Registration is now open for Cohort 6 of the Hawaiʻi Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP)! The six-week community and cultural orientation program scheduled for Fall 2024 is designed for recently relocated residents and returning kama’āina to learn about Hawaiʻi’s culture, take part in community service, and network with professionals across industries. Participants are enrolled through their employers and registration is open through August 2, 2024 with activities commencing in September. Register today by emailing Executive Director Nicole Lim at nicole@moversandshakas.org.

Meet Curtis Fessler, CPWA® CEPA®, Senior Vice President & Senior Wealth Strategist at Bank of Hawaii, who is a proud alumnus of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program’s Cohort 5 (Spring 2024). Curtis and his wife Emily Kahumoku-Fessler, PHD, LMFTS lived on the continent for more than 20 years before deciding to move to Hawai'i to raise their children and start new careers. They both participated in Cohort 5 together. "One of my colleagues and mentors at Bank of Hawaii, who moved here from Seattle with his wife, participated in the first series of cohorts of HITOP and felt so strongly that this program would be so beneficial to me and my wife Emily," said Curtis. "I'm thankful to him for sharing his experience and providing us with the opportunity to participate." Learn more about Curtis' story in a recent interview with Burt Lum of Bytemarks Cafe (Hawaii Public Radio): https://lnkd.in/gktm6w7F

Congratulations to the 22 executives and leaders of Cohort 5 for officially completing the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program! Over the past six weeks, these newly relocated residents representing Hawaii's top companies and organizations acculturated into their new home through cultural education, community service and leadership training, walking away with a stronger sense of belonging to Hawaii. Mahalo to U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda for providing congratulatory remarks to Cohort 5 at the end of the program during the graduation ceremony. “Congratulations to the HITOP Cohort 5 graduates on the commitment they have made to first learn, understand, and engage with the community and culture of Hawai‘i as they put down roots and make this place home,” said Rep. Tokuda. “Mahalo to everyone who has made HITOP a success, making it their mission to prepare new residents and leaders to better understand our people, our land, and our culture. I look forward to seeing where this new journey takes them and how they will help shape our community.” https://lnkd.in/g3PnTrcP

Mahalo to Howard Dicus of Hawaii News Now for having us on Sunrise this morning. Our Executive Director Nicole Lim spoke to Howard about the growth of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP) since its launch two years ago and all of the key benefits it provides for the State of Hawai'i, for employers and also for participants who are newly transferred to Hawai'i. https://lnkd.in/gDChE9XQ

Meet Sunshine Topping, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Hawaii Pacific Health. Since our program's inception in 2022, Hawaii Pacific Health has enrolled seven executives and leaders to participate in six weeks of cultural education, leadership workshops and community work days through HITOP and continues to enroll more participants with every new cohort. Here is why Hawaii Pacific Health sees value in enrolling newly transferred leaders into a placed-based community immersion and orientation program: "From an HR perspective, there are so many metrics with the obvious being recruitment costs and turnover costs," said Sunshine. "But there is also an emotional loss that we all experience when people that we really like come and then go." For more information, visit www.moversandshakas.org.

Meet Marco Abbruzzese (he/him), Vice Chair of Wealth Management at Bank of Hawaii, who is a proud alumnus of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program’s Cohort 2 (Fall 2022). Marco and his wife lived in Seattle for 20 years before moving to Hawaii a few years ago. They both participated in Cohort 2 together. “Moving to Hawaii was its own unique experience and I found this program to be tremendously helpful for my wife and I as we got acculturated and immersed in work and life living here,” said Marco. “It was important for us to go through the program together as a couple and have that shared experience together. We’ve also made dear friends through the program, and it makes us feel like we belong here in Hawaii.” For more information about HITOP, visit www.moversandshakas.org.

There are a few spots remaining for Cohort 5 of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program! Registration closes this Friday, March 15. To register or more information, email Nicole Lim, Executive Director of Movers & Shakas, at nicole@moversandshakas.org. Mahalo to Stephanie Salmons of Pacific Business News for her recent article on our 6-week placed-based community acculturation program: https://lnkd.in/g6wXdFBr