| Darryl Mleynek, State Director |
| |
State Director Mleynek was raised in a small
farming community in central Illinois. He has an MBA from Pepperdine University
and a Masters degree in Library Science from the University of Southern
California. Mleynek also holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy
from the University of Illinois. Mleynek has more than 17 years of experience
owning or operating three different small businesses.
Prior to his state directorship, Mleynek was the SBDC Hawai`i Island Center
Director. From 1990 to 1995, Mleynek also lectured in Management at UH-Hilo.
His areas of expertise are entrepreneurship, strategic management, organizational
design and organizational development. Say Mleynek, "I am proud of
my staff and its efforts. Through counseling and training, the SBDC is
helping individual small businesses get off the ground, expand, and create
new jobs." |
| Kathy Hammes,
Financial Operations Director/Business Consultant |
| |
Hammes has an MBA from the University of British
Columbia, is an honorary faculty member of the Lambda Psi Chapter of Delta
Sigma Pi, and holds a BS in Biology from Simon Fraser University. Hammes
has been with the Hawai`i SBDC Network since October 1990, and is responsible
for the financial administration of the entire statewide operation.
Since April 1992, Hammes has also served as a consultant with the Hawai`i
Island Center. "I enjoy working with the Big Island entrepreneurs
whose creativity, energy, and persistence in turning their business dreams
into reality are so important during the current tough economy in Hawai`i,"
says Hammes. |
| Virginia Renee Branco,
State Office Secretary |
| |
Branco, a former resident of Grand Junction,
Colorado, moved to Hilo, Hawai`i in 1980. A graduate of Saint Joseph High
School, she also attended Hawai`i Community College. Branco enjoys working
in public service. She joined the Hawai`i SBDC Network in 1993 and is proud
that the services provided are having a positive impact on the economy
of Hawai`i.
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| Cheryl Ku'ulei Reeser,
State Office Assistant |
| |
Reeser was born in the Volcano area of the Big
Island, where she lived until age nine. Says Reeser, "I returned to
the Big Island in 1994, and am pursuing a degree in Political Science at
UH Hilo. My Family has been in the Hawaiian Islands for five generations,
having arrived when the Hawaiian Monarchy still governed. The services
the Hawai`i SBDC Network provide are invaluable to the people of Hawai`i,
I am pleased to play a role in it." |
| Robert Chase,
Programs Director |
| |
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Chase has a Ph.D. in
Agronomy and Soil Science from UH Manoa, a Masters degree in Biological
Oceanography and BS in Chemistry. Since 1967, he has taught college courses
in the sciences on Hawai`i Island , O`ahu, and Maui. He spent 15 years
working in Africa and the South Pacific as a lecturer, research specialist
and extension officer. Chase joined the Hawai`i SBDC Network in late 1995.
He is on the Steering Committee of Na Poe Hoa `Aina and Hui Maamau, two
agricultural development projects to support the under-employed in Pahoa
to begin their own subsistence agriculture. |
| Cheryl Sumida,
RETA-H Programs Coordinator |
|
Born and raised in Hilo, Sumida received a BFA
in Textile Design from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and a Certification
in Interior Design from Brooks College in Long Beach, CA. She worked for
several design firms before establishing her own business in interior design
and graphic design in Honolulu. Sumida moved back to Hilo and worked for
the local newspaper in advertising sales. Prior to joining the Hawai`i
SBDC Network, she was the research staff to the Hawai`i County Council's
Committee on Planning for nearly seven years where she gained extensive
knowledge in county and state land use law, policies, rules and regulations. |
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| HAWAI`I ISLAND CENTER |
| Rebecca (Becky)
Winters, Hawai`i Island Center Director |
| |
Winters has an MBA from UH Manoa, is a member
of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Alpha Chapter, and holds a BA from
Pomona College. Winters has been with the Hawai`i SBDC Network as a business
consultant since 1994. Prior to joining the SBDC, Winters operated a business
consulting firm, assisting small businesses and conducting training seminars.
Since 1971,Winters has operated a cattle ranch with her husband near Waimea,
Hawai`i. With a background in agriculture, Winters offers a unique perspective
to newly formed agriculture and Aquaculture enterprises. Winters is past
president of the Waimea Community Association. |
| Lydia Santiago,
Hawai`i Island Center Secretary |
|
Santiago was born and raised in Kohala on the
Big Island and attended Cannon's School of Business. She worked for many
years in the private sector before joining the State Department of Business,
Economic Development and Tourism (Hilo office) in 1993, and stayed with
that office until it closed in 1995. Santiago has been with SBDC for two
years. |
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| HONOLULU CENTER |
| Laura Noda, Honolulu
Center Director |
| |
Noda, who grew up in Hawai`i, holds an MBA from
UCLA, a Masters degree in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan,
and a B.Ed with Honors from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. She worked
as a business consultant with Price Waterhouse in Japan and for Ernst and
Young in Chicago, and as a pricing manager for a division of a high tech
company. She has also operated a home-based business. Noda has extensive
ties in the Honolulu business community, where she uses her knowledge to
help SBDC clients. |
| Winona Chin,
Honolulu Center Secretary |
| |
Chin was born and raised in Hawai`i. She is
a graduate of UH Manoa with a BA in Sociology. Prior to joining the Hawai`i
SBDC Network, Chin worked at Wang Laboratories. She is a valued member
of the Honolulu Center team, supporting both Laura Noda and Michael Keltos. |
| Michael Keltos,
Business Consultant,Leeward Center (Oahu) |
|
Keltos is originally from New Jersey and holds
an MBA in finance from the University of St. Thomas Camron School of Business,
an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from Ohio University, and a BS in Agricultural
Economics from Rutgers University.
Since December 1995, Keltos has been serving business needs in the leeward,
central and north shores areas of O`ahu. Prior to joining the Hawai`i SBDC
Network, Keltos was a consultant with the Pacific Business Center providing
counseling and training to businesses in Micronesia. He has also worked
over three years in the Philippines, as a bank loan officer and as an education
supervisor in a UN refugee resettlement program. Michael has extensive
experience teaching business and computer courses at colleges and universities
in Texas and Hawai`i and continues to teach as an adjunct faculty at Heald
Business College. |
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| KAUA`I CENTER |
| Randy Gingras,
Kaua`i Center Director |
| |
Gingras is a Certified Management Accountant
and Certified in Financial Management with over 15 years of business management
experience. Gingras specializes in financial management and planning and
has assisted hundreds of businesses and individuals on Kaua`i to plan and
achieve their business goals.
Gingras has owned two businesses and held management positions in manufacturing
and in construction companies.
Based on his involvement in community economic development with the Hawai`i
Community Loan Fund, Gingras was awarded the U.S. Small Business Administration's
Financial Services Advocate Award for Kaua`i in 1997. |
| Clara Oligo,
Kauai Center Secretary |
|
As the first point of contact for the Kauai
Center, Clara Oligo's friendly and helpful disposition defines the Kaua`i
SBDC Center's accessibility to the community. She is a graduate of Kauai
Community College and continues a close relationship with the college by
assisting other organizations on campus. Her professionalism goes beyond
that of secretary and she works hard to coordinate a demanding client and
training schedule at the Center. She is also in charge of the business
resource center. |
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| MAUI CENTER |
| David Fisher,
Maui Center Director |
| |
Fisher grew up in a United States Foreign Service
family living in many countries. A graduate of Yale University and New
York University, Fisher holds a BA in American Studies and an MBA in Management.
Fisher initiated the Maui Hotel Association's award winning pilot recycling
program, launched the SBDC Center on Maui, and has become the SBDC's lead
practitioner in using Internet services as a tool for small business development.
In addition to his interest in the Internet, Fisher was appointed by the
Governor to serve the Community Based Economic Development (CBED) Advisory
Board. Also Fisher is involved with the Maui Leadership Development Program
and the Maui Community College's Community Resource Development Center. |
| Sonjie Thomas, Maui
Center Secretary |
|
Originally from New Hampshire, Thomas moved
to Maui two years ago with her Hawaiian-born husband and two daughters
who presently attend the University of Hawai`i.
Thomas comes to the SBDC with 30 years experience in both business and
educational settings. She welcomes the opportunity to support Maui's small
business community. |
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| BUSINESS RESEARCH LIBRARY |
| Lynda Mitchell,
Business Research Library Interim Director |
| |
Lynda Mitchell received both a BA in Education
and a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Hawai`i.
She has worked as a research librarian, a high school librarian, a branch
library manager and the coordinator for the Hawaii and Pacific Libraries
Association. She was also the Maui Library District Administrator for the
Hawaii State Library System from 1990 to 1996.
Although she has worked in many diverse library settings, Mitchell says
the Business Research Library offers a unique and enjoyable opportunity
to meet and work with members of the small business community, a very important
segment of Hawai`i's population. |
| Pat Diaz, BRL
Secretary |
| |
Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Diaz moved
to Maui with twenty years of secretarial experience. For the last three
years, Diaz worked as an administrative assistant for the Maui Economic
Development Board at the Maui Research and Technology Center. |
| Sonia Isotov,
Research Assistant |
| |
Isotov has been with the Business Research Library
for over four years. She moved to Maui after graduating with a BA in English
from the University of Oregon. Presently, she is pursuing a Masters degree
in Library and Information Science at the University of Hawai`i.
Isotov is very happy applying her researching skills in the development
of new Hawai`i businesses. |
| Francine Atwell,
Research Assistant |
|
Atwell joined the Business Research Library
to assist clients with their research and produces the Maui County Data
Book. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with extensive experience
in computer programming and economic and social science research. She has
also worked in the private sector with many entrepreneurs. |