Farewell to PIC Board Member Donne Dawson, Welcome Nalani Blane Kealaiki
After nine years of volunteering on the Board of Pacific Islanders in Communications, Donne Dawson shares a touching look back at what she fondly remembers while serving as a board member, as well as looking ahead as to what PIC will accomplish in the near future and beyond.
By Donne Dawson
Aloha a hui hou,
I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm saying goodbye to the PIC Board after nearly a decade so closely connected to an organization that I care so much about and in whose mission I so wholeheartedly believe.
I've served on a lot of boards and I'm sure I'll serve on many more. Never have I felt as sad as I do now to end my time with Pacific Islanders in Communications. But I'm oh so grateful that I've been able to make a contribution to the important work of this organization that supports, nurtures, and develops our Pacific Islander media makers and the culturally relevant stories they tell.
For most of the time that I served on the PIC Board I sat on the Programming Committee and became deeply involved in the everyday decisions that supported these media makers and enabled them to bring their stories to life. What an honor! To look back on all these projects that have gone from seed to full bloom and then touched the lives of so many, is remarkable. These talented media makers have inspired me in ways that are difficult to describe.
I feel confident that I found the perfect person to step into my shoes, Nalani Blane Kealaiki, who I got to know during the planning of the Hawaiian Media Makers Conference last year and I continue to work with as we launch the first Brown Book Symposium which came out of that conference. Nalani will bring an even greater level of passion and enthusiasm to the Board and its vision for PIC's future.
The upshot of all this is that I've found a way to feed the passion I feel for the good work that PIC does for our community. We have formed an advisory board to the PIC Board and have asked several former Board members to serve. We are reaching out to other visionary members of our community who are also passionate about media making and finding creative ways for more of our stories to be told. I'm excited at the prospects of what we will be able to accomplish.
Mahalo Nui to Leanne Ferrer and the incredible staff at PIC, Maluhia, Jade, Amber, and Cheryl for all you have done to support our board and me especially. And mahalo to my fellow board members past and present, I am grateful to you for all that you've taught me and all that you've helped me accomplish during my time with this organization.
Aloha a hui hou, until we meet again, may we hold close to the love that exists between us.
Please join PIC in welcoming Nālani Blane Kealaiki, who brings 15 years of experience in Hawaiʻi's transportation, building, and communications industries to the Board. She has over a decade of expertise in managing public outreach initiatives, strategic planning, public affairs, community-based programs, and event promotions.
Nālani's passion for video productions and visual arts began at the video production center on the ground floor of Midkiff Learning Center, Kamehameha Schools' Kapālama campus. She has stayed connected to the arts community through professional affiliations and community services. She is also a past fellow of First Nations' Futures Program and the International Radio and Television Society.
Nālani is part of the Hawaiian Media Makers planning committee, and was instrumental in the success of the 2014 Hawaiian Media Makers Conference. She will be stepping in to replace Donne on PIC's Programming Committee, and we are excited that she has volunteered to lead PIC's 25th Anniversary Celebrations Committee. Please be on the lookout for updates on PIC's 25th Anniversary Celebrations as they are unveiled throughout the upcoming year.
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