Kamehameha CEO selection well received
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawaiian community as well as business leaders yesterday were singing the praises of the newly appointed Kamehameha Schools chief executive officer, describing her as someone equipped to lead the embattled institution through whatever legal and economic challenges lie ahead.
Dee Jay Mailer is a people-oriented executive who motivated associates to achieve in her last post locally as head of Kaiser Permanente Hawai'i, said the woman who in 1986 hired her for her first job in that health maintenance organization.
MAILER
"When I first interviewed her, I could tell she was going to be destined for great things," said Gladys Ching, Kaiser's regional clinics administrator. "It was how she saw people, how she sees that in any kind of mission what you really have to do is focus on the people."
Mailer, a 1970 graduate of Kamehameha, will take over as CEO Jan. 19. She'll move here from Geneva, Switzerland, where she now serves as chief operating officer of a United Nations-supported trust called the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
She could not be reached for comment yesterday, although in a written statement she expressed a desire to "give back to Hawai'i what I believe has been my foundation for success throughout my career ... respecting and treating people as though they were your very dear family."
Ching had hired Mailer as assistant manager of the Kaiser Honolulu Clinic and watched her move up the ladder to become regional hospital administrator in 1991 and vice president and regional manager in 1995.
"We feel Kamehameha is so fortunate to have her for their leader," Ching said. "She belongs in Hawai'i; her heart is in Hawai'i."
School trustees yesterday were unanimous in their praise of Mailer, who is the first woman named permanently to head the charitable trust.
Kamehameha's legal chief, Colleen Wong, had been serving as acting CEO during the seven-month search that began with the resignation of Hamilton McCubbin in May.
Constance Lau, chairwoman of the Kamehameha board of trustees, said yesterday that in her tenure with Kaiser, Mailer demonstrated a talent for "turning organizations around during difficult times."
Mailer "has a unique skill of focusing people in the mission of the organization," Lau said.
The trustees said Mailer's name had been suggested during the search both by members of the Kamehameha community and through the work of the professional search agency that the school hired, Heidrick & Struggles.
The search initially identified about 200 potential candidates. The trustees said Mailer's leadership ability and teamwork skills helped to set her apart.
Mailer and her husband, Don, have two grown daughters who also graduated from Kamehameha.
Her stepfather — Art Woolaway, the retired business executive best known for supporting and volunteering assistance to the University of Hawai'i basketball program — was celebrating their impending homecoming yesterday.
Mailer attended Punahou School before transferring to Kamehameha, Woolaway said.
"I put her through Punahou and Kamehameha and the University of Hawai'i," he said. "She was worth every penny.
"She's a very intelligent girl. She's done very well."
Another family member is former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Kina'u Kamali'i, who said Mailer is a cousin. Kamali'i cited Mailer's professional acumen that she observed while both were in the healthcare field. Kamali'i formerly headed the State Health Planning and Development Agency, which would authorize certain expenditures by Kaiser and other healthcare providers.
"They couldn't get a better gal," Kamali'i said. "She cares. She's smart, and she can put it together for that organization."
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
