OFFICERS

 

Lee Moriwaki

Chair

Lee Moriwaki has served on The Arc in Hawaii board since 1985.  His brother Fane resides in an Arc DD Dom home and attends the Pearl City Center adult day health program.  Lee is an Executive Vice President at Central Pacific Bank.

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Kevin Murray

Vice Chair

Kevin Murray has had a life-long career in Hawai`i’s travel industry planning, organizing, and implementing complex corporate travel and events.  As an executive with one of Hawai`i's most renown destination management companies, he manages multi-million dollar client programs.  Kevin's executive experience, leadership abilities, and outstanding communication skills make him an ideal individual  to serve on the ARC's board.  He brings fresh perspectives, commitment, and energy that are an asset to the community the ARC serves.

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Gary Simon

Secretary

Gary Simon has been the director of corporate affairs and advocacy of St. Francis healthcare system since 2016. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of St. Francis Hospice. Gary has been the president of the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition since 2014 and is the current chair of the state of Hawaii Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs. Gary and his wife live with his 102-year-old mother-in-Law

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Kevin Dooley

Treasurer

Kevin Dooley is a Professor in Accounting at Kapi`olani Community College and a Certified Public Accountant.  He has served on The Arc in Hawaii's board since 2012, most recently as Treasurer.  He was instrumental in the creation and operation of of the UH Community College System’s popular Non-Profit Management Certificate program.

     

DIRECTORS

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Linda Balazs

Linda Balasz retired from a long career as a medical social worker, for many years with Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii.  In her various roles she has provided direct services to many people with ID/DD, including clients of The Arc. Linda joined the Board upon her retirement from Kaiser in 2014.

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Rida Ching

Rida Ching has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Master's Degree in Business Administration  with emphasis on health care management. I have over 25 years of leadership experience working mostly for health plans,  and specifically Medicaid Quest Integration from 2008-2019.  In 2020, I worked as a direct practice therapist for a small behavioral health agency.  In August 2021, I will be starting a new job as the Director of Health Coordination at Aloha Care.   I previously worked at Ohana Health Plan and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.  My husband Robert and I have two adults sons.  Our older son will be 30 years old this year, has Autism, and receives services through the Developmental Disabilities Division.   As a board member for The Arc in Hawaii, I am hoping to bring my professional and personal experience to serve in any way that I am able to support Hawaii's community of  adults with special needs,  their parents and families, and The Arc in Hawaii.    

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Diane Haar

Inspired by her older sister with a severe disability and a general feeling that people with disabilities were treated unjustly, Diane Haar decided to become a lawyer to advocate for them.  After graduating from UC Berkeley she attend Yale University and obtained a law degree and Masters in Public Health simultaneously.  Her practice in Hawaii focuses on helping person with disabilities and their families navigate various VA and Social Security benefit programs.  She has lobbied our US house and Senate delegation about keeping Social Security benefits intact against budgetary pressures to reduce them.  Her disabled sister lives in California, where she believes programs and facilities are better than what is available in Hawaii.  She says:  “My reason for wanting to be on The Arc board is that we have to improve what we have here, not just for me and my family, but for all of the families with special members who call Hawaii their home.”

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Thomas P. Huber

​Tom Huber's daughter began her community life in an Arc preschool and has lived in an Arc DD Dom home for over 15 years. He is a retired lawyer, and served on The Arc in Hawaii's board twice, most recently from 1999 to the present.  He was an early leader of the protection and advocacy agency, now known as the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.

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Curt Kiriu

I have been in the construction industry for over 34 years and have been a licensed general contractor in Hawaii for 13 years. As a General Contractor and Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist professional, I specialize in accessible design to modifying homes to be safe, accessible and functional for an active independent lifestyle.

I am a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS) and an approved Master Instructor for this course, and the Universal Design Essentials course. I am also an NAHB Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist SME (Subject Matter Expert) and contributed to writing new content for all three Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist courses; which are taught nationwide and Canada. I have given presentations in Hawaii and Nationally on Aging-In-Place and Universal Design since 2009.  I was selected Qualified Remodeler Magazine’s Remodeler of the Month for June 2018.

In 2016, I was honored as the Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society’s “Na Lima Kokua” Award, which is given to a local business that has contributed to the welfare of the elderly.  I was honored to be the 2016 NAHB’s Certified Aging-in Place Specialist Educator of the Year and 2014 Certified Aging-in Place Specialist Designee of the Year.  In Hawaii, I previously served on the BIA of Hawaii Executive Board, Board of Directors and Education Committee Chair. 2015 – 2017, I served as Chair for Housing Domain on the City & County of Honolulu Age Friendly Honolulu Committee, and introduced ADUs as essential to the final plan. 2010 served on the State of Hawaii HFLTF (Homes for Life Task Force) committee.

On the National level, I served as 2020 Chair for Education Committee, and previously served on the NAHB Executive Board, Board of Directors, State Rep for Hawaii, NAHB Remodelers Board of Trustee, Knowledge and Innovation Chair and twice as Learning Content Subcommittee Chair and Convention Education Subcommittee.

I was my father’s primary caregiver for 17 years, and this experience and being a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist provides me with a unique perspective to assist my homeowners to design and modify their homes to give them a choice in living an active independent lifestyle.

 

Scott Suzuki

Scott Suzuki is active at the University of Hawaii as a Lecturer in Law and as a volunteer attorney at the University of Hawaii Elder Law Program (UHELP). Through UHELP, Scott assists Professor James H. Pietsch provide free legal assistance to seniors residing on Oahu and research recent developments in elder law. Scott is also an advocate for populations with special needs. Scott is Hawaii's only member of the Special Needs Alliance (www.specialneedsalliance.com), for which he currently serves as the President-Elect and Chair of Education. The Special Needs Alliance is a national, non-profit organization consisting of some of the most credentialed public benefits and disability law attorneys in the country, committed to helping individuals with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who represent them. 

 

Sharen Wago

Sharen Wago is the Director of Human Resources for Paradise Cruises.  She formerly worked for The Arc in Hawaii in Human Resources.

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