Name: Charlian Wright.

Age: 57.

Title: Executive director.

Organization: Aloha Festivals.

Previous position: Retired last year as corporate marketing director for Pauahi Management Corp. and Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Born: O'ahu.

High School: Hilo High School.

College: Working toward business administration degree at Hawaii Pacific University.

First job: Secretarial support work for the Peace Corps in Hilo.

Employment history: Paradise Park reservationist, Don the Beachcomber reservations and sales, group tour coordinator for Aloha Hawaii Travel, operations manager for Nui Nui Tours, managed showroom at the Imperial Hawaii Hotel.

Breakthrough job: Assistant promotions director for Royal Hawaiian center in 1981.

Little-known fact: "I like my peace and quiet."

Mentor: Valery O'Brien, former boss at Pauahi Management.

Major challenge: Helping the Aloha Festivals board and financial team ensure the event is perpetually sustainable.

Hobbies: Crochet, reading.

Latest literary interest: Hawaiian myths and legends.

Q. You joined Aloha Festivals last year as its unpaid interim chief administrator. What convinced you to take on the role of paid executive director in January?

A. Probably because there's a light at the end of the tunnel for seeing my goals. I'd like to see that the festival is maintained, and to add more interest in Aloha Festivals not only by the local residents but the visitors as well.

Q. Last year was tough for Aloha Festivals, with the loss of its executive director and the averted possibility of canceling events. Is the festival in better shape this year?

A. Yes. That's why we're expanding and adding new events. On Kaua'i, we're adding the falsetto contest, and we're also adding a Royal 'Aha 'Aina, which is a celebration of Hawaiian culture. We're also adding a Kaua'i ho'olaule'a, and we're doing a parade.

On O'ahu, were adding our Royal 'Aha 'Aina, and we will have Hawaiian arts and crafts people who deal only with natural fibers, and they will be doing things like saddle-making — some of the arts and crafts that the public doesn't normally get to see.

We also added a children's art contest. That went on in April, and we also did a Hawaiian language competition.

Q. Is your budget bigger this year?

A. We've been able to go out and get more sponsors. Right now, we're working with Best Buy, Starbucks, Hawaiian Telcom. We've also got AT&T Foundation from the Mainland. We've been getting more Mainland support from companies that are here in Hawai'i.

Our budget is close to $900,000 from cash, (noncash) contributions and merchandising. It was smaller last year, probably about $750,000.