Japanese center elects board
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i has elected a new board of directors, a group largely made up of incumbents.
Those elected to at-large posts, beginning July 1, are:
- Dean Hirata, executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, City Bank.
- Neal Kanda, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Central Pacific Bank.
- Eric Martinson, partner, MN Capital Partners.
- Colbert Matsumoto, chairman, Island Insurance Co. Ltd.
- Sanford Murata, director, Commercial Assets Division, Kamehameha Schools.
- Joanne Ninomiya, owner and president, JN Productions Inc.; manager, KIKU-TV.
- Brian C. Nishida, president, BC&G International LLC.
- Miki Okumura, managing partner, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel.
- Raymond Ono, executive vice president and segment manager, First Hawaiian Bank.
- Al Tomonari, general manager, Neiman Marcus Hawaii.
- Donna Tanoue, vice chairman, Bank of Hawaii.
At-large newcomers are Hirata (who had served on an ad hoc finance committee) Kanda, Ono and Tanoue.
Of the Neighbor Island members, only Tommy Hirano of the Big Island is an incumbent. He is president and chief executive officer of Stationers' Corp. of Hawaii. Two others — Kaua'i representative Charles Kawakami, president of Big Save Inc.; and Maui's Yuki Lei Sugimura, former economic development specialist for the mayor's office — are new directors.
Ballots were sent to all 2,002 center members; 708 were returned by the June 6 deadline and tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Officers will be elected at the board's first meeting in July; the center's annual membership meeting is set for Aug. 27.
The nonprofit Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii is at 2454 S. Beretania St. in Mo'ili'ili. The center houses a gallery, gift shop, resource center, kenshikan martial arts dojo, seikoan Japanese tea room, meeting rooms, offices and banquet facilities.
