USS MISSOURI MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

The USS Missouri Memorial Association has hired Sarah Tenney as its vice president of development, overseeing fundraising to support the association and the Battleship Missouri Memorial, which it operates.

Tenney's career, internationally and locally, is varied, in multiple industries — including information technology, construction, business ownership, private wealth management and fundraising in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

The history of the Missouri Memorial — which, with no government funding, depends on visitors' support, grants, memberships and donations — is already a story of successful fundraising, said Tenney: "Three veteran friends initiated the idea to bring the ship to Hawai'i, achieved Navy consensus to act as the vessel's caretaker, engaged multiple banks to provide million-dollar seed funds to start the business plan, supervised more than 55,000 volunteers, hosted more than 3.5 million visitors, and created an economic engine for other attractions in Pearl Harbor."

Tenney is one of 16 professionally certified fundraising executives by CFRE International and is recognized as a national expert in nonprofit technology and fundraising campaigns.

Her local nonprofit experience has included the technical recommendations and design of the Hawai'i Community Foundation's online scholarship system and integration of Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation database for The Kamehameha Schools.

She initiated the first Hawai'i online donation tool for Kapi'olani Health Foundation, and designed the scoring/nomination tools for the International e-Philanthropy Foundation. Clients have included the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Seabury Hall, Diamond Head Theatre, Honolulu Academy of the Arts, Pacific Islanders in Communications, Chaminade University and Honolulu Symphony.