Leading With Aloha

Kauaʻi has always been a beacon of light in modeling how to do things with Aloha. In today’s fast-paced technological environment, it is imperative to integrate with companies that align with our Hawaiian values to establish their roots here. It is time to share Aloha and grow the Kauaʻi business community!

​This Global Leadership Conference is an opportunity for business and community leaders of Kauai, Hawaii, Mainland, and Internationally to come together as one to share tools, strategies, and encouragement to do the right thing, even though it may be the hardest and longest road to take.

Dates: Thursday, October 21 & Friday, October 22, 2021
Start Time: 9:00am HST
​Conference fee: $25
Where: Virtual Webinar Hosted from Kauai 
Topics:
» Civic Engagement
» Corporate Social Responsibility
​» Innovation & AgTech

Join the AIM Global Conference for two days of high level talks and truths on Kauaiʻs collective future!

REGISTER TODAY!

For more information contact alanna@leadershipkauai.org or
Call Leadership Kaua'i 808.246.8727. 

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Conference Schedule

DAY 1
Thursday, October 21
9:00am       Opening - The Spirit of Aloha
                              Kumu Puna Kalama Dawson
9:15am        Keynote: Shared Values from a Global Perspective
                              José Romão Leite Brás
10:00am      Engagement for Change
                           Mark Perriello, Sally Greenberg, Sherry
                              Menor-McNamara, Rep. Jimmy Tokioka
11:30am       Lunch Break
1:00pm         CSR: Accountability & Transparency
                              Bria Greer, Chandra Bertsch, ​
                              Awamary Lowe-Khan, Laurie Yoshida 
​3:00pm       Closing


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DAY 2​
Friday, October 22
9:00am       Opening - We Are All Hawaiian
​                        Kumu Puna Kalama Dawson
9:30am        What is the TECH in AgTech?
​                              Rob Tiffany, Fred Cowell
10:00am      Transformative Opportunities in AgTech
                              Peleke Flores, Steve Madrid, Roberts Kukainis, 
                              Bob Farias, Yoshito L’Hote, Fred Cowell 
11:00am       Transformative Opportunities in AgTech Part 2
                              Fredrik ​ Carlegren, Erik Sebusch
12:00pm       Lunch Break
12:30pm       An Invitation to Partner with Us
                             Jackie Kaina, Mike Rubel, Megan Fox, Waylon
                             Brun, Bernard Carvalho, CAPT Vinnie Johnson, 
                             ​Char Ravelo, Kumu Puna Kalama Dawson
1:30pm          Pau    ​​

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Conference Speakers

Sally Greenberg, President, National Consumers League
Fredrik Carlegren, VP Marketing, ​Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Sherry Menor-McNamara, President and CEO, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Erik Sebusch, Partner, Global Strategy Leader Venture Capital & Growth Equity
Mark Perriello, President and CEO of Kauai Chamber of Commerce  
Representative Jimmy Tokioka, Hawai'i State Legislature
   Steven Madrid, Director, Gordian Bio Energy
Roberts Kukainis, Digital Product Owner, Michelin
Mike Rubel, Director - Strategic Partnerships, 5G Open Innovation Lab 
Char Ravelo, Executive Director of Leadership Kauaʻi  
CAPT Vinnie Johnson, U.S. Navy; Leadership Kaua'i Member - BoD  
Fred Cowell, General Manager of Kauai Coffee 
Yoshito L'Hote, Executive Director, Āina Hoʻokupu O Kīlauea
Bernard Carvalho, Former Mayor of Kauaʻi County 
Kumu Hula Puna Kalama Dawson, Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner   
​Awamary Lowe-Khan, Seasoned Executive, Speaker, Philanthropist.
Chandra Bertsch, Co-Owner & General Manager​ Holo Holo Charters
 José Romão Leite Brás, Vice-president of Finançor
Principal Officer Kathryn Hammond, US Embassy & Consulate in Portugal
Peleke Flores, Malama Huleia Alekoko Fishpond & Iwikua
Bob Farias, Farias Cattle Company
Laurie Yoshida, Communications Manager-Hawaii, Corteva Agriscience
Bria Greer, Owner and Creative Director of Brialei LLC
Jaclyn K Kaina, Director of Programs & Business Development, Kauai Economic Development Board
Megan Fox, Executive Director of Mālama Kaua’i
Waylon Brun, President of the Kaua'i Cattlemen's Association
Rob Tiffany, Head of IOT Strategy, Ericsson
​..and more!

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Meet our Speakers

Fredrik Carlegren

Fredrik Carlegren is a seasoned marketing executive with a passion for technology and retail. As the VP of Marketing at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Fredrik leads a global team focused on creating brand awareness, driving demand generation activities and enabling employees and partners for success. He has over 20 years of business experience with companies including IBM and Ericsson that include product management, sales management and various marketing positions. A native of Sweden, Fredrik is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified professional with an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management – and, an avid global traveler with many fond memories on the Hawaiian islands.

Sally Greenberg​

Sally Greenberg joined the National Consumers League as Executive Director on October 1, 2007. The League’s focus is on five key priority areas: fraud, child labor, LifeSmarts, health care, especially the safe use of medications and medication adherence, and food safety and nutrition. Sally came to NCL from Consumers Union, where she worked from 1997-2007 on product liability and food safety issues, along with auto and product safety. Previously, Sally worked at the U.S. Department of Justice Foreign Claims Settlement Commission and prior to that, she spent a decade serving as the Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, based in Boston. Sally started her career as a legislative correspondent for Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI). She went on to spend four years as legislative assistant for Congressman Toby Moffett (D-CT). Sally was president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts and the Women’s Bar Foundation, and served on several gubernatorial commissions in Massachusetts. Sally served for many years on the board of directors of the Alliance for Justice, and HALT. Sally is a member of the Reagan-Udall Foundation Board, Keystone Center and Trillium Asset Management.

Sherry Menor-McNamara

Sherry Menor-McNamara was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii on September 1, 2013; becoming the youngest and first female President and CEO of the Chamber in the organization’s 170-year history, as well as the first Asian to serve as CEO of a State Chamber. She previously served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining the Chamber, she was events manager for ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. She has lived in several major cities, including Tokyo, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and London, working for a wide variety of companies, such as Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Estee Lauder Company, Elton John Production, as well as for the Hawaii State Legislature, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka and the Executive Office of the United States President. She currently serves on numerous boards including the Hawaii Tourism Authority, JAIMS Foundation, and Move Oahu Forward. Nationally, she serves the board for the U.S. Chamber, Council of State Chambers (COSC), Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, including the Executive Committee (ACCE), and the U.S. Chamber Committee of 100.

CAPT Vinnie Johnson

Captain Vinnie Johnson is a career Naval Officer and Naval Aviator. He has served in several leadership positions including command of an aviation squadron and as Commanding Officer of the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kaua'i, Hawaii. He has taught strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College and served as a policy advisor in Washington, D.C. He is currently the U. S. Naval Attaché to Portugal. Vinnie proudly serves as a board member for Leadership Kaua'i.

Michael Rubel

Michael Rubel, is an Advisor, Board Member and Investor in the Clean Tech and Telecommunications Markets. After serving 10-years in the US Navy, he worked with leading Corporate Venture Groups, including GE Ventures, Michelin Ventures and Intellectual Ventures. Mike is currently working with the 5G Open Innovation Lab in Seattle and advising several startups in Kauai. Mike and Captain Vinnie are best friends from their days at the Naval Academy and together, they developed the idea for this Conference as a way to give back to the Island of Kaua’i.

Fred Cowell

General Manager at Kauai Coffee since 2016. 20-year USAF Veteran. 3rd generation farmer. 6th generation Kama'aina.

 Awamary Lowe-Khan

Awamary is the Founder + CEO of The Woman Boss; a global creative space for women and girls, where they curate, collaborate, engage, and learn by focusing on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership. She is also the CEO + Principal Consultant of AKHAN, Inc.; a management consulting company, and the Founder + CEO of Innovate Gambia; initiatives created to help revitalize economic development in The Gambia and region. Additionally, she is the President of PointClick Technologies, a cloud management company, operating in 4 continents (USA, Africa, Europe + Asia). She is the Founder of North Carolina’s Black Entrepreneurship Week, and the first ever partnership between a University and Loan Fund to create an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center in a minority community. She was most recently named as one of 35 Rising Women in Africa by CNBC Africa, 100 Women to change West Africa by AFRIMAC, was awarded Leaders in Diversity by the Triangle Business Journal and was nominated for Woman of the Year by Spectacular Magazine. Her experience includes serving as the Regional Finance Executive for The American Red Cross, and as the Chief Financial Officer for Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities. She received her MBA from Upper Iowa University, Executive Education Program from Harvard University and Duke University, and her Bachelor of Science from Shaw University.

Steven Madrid

Steven Madrid served as Development Manager in Gordian when he joined the Company in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2008. He has been primarily responsible for land acquisition and the Project development process assembling a land portfolio of nearly 170,000 hectares spread over six farms. Steven has 24 years of extensive international experience in project development, having worked in various positions in operations and logistics in South America for San Francisco, California based third party logistics firm Fritz Companies, Walmart International and Enron International. Prior to joining Gordian, he spent four years in Baghdad, Iraq working for the U.S. Government´s Department of Defense and Department of State as an Advisor and later as Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity and for private contractors responsible for the reconstruction and reconditioning of power generation assets.

Roberts Kukainis

Roberts is digital product owner at Michelin and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia to South Carolina, USA. He is the acting lead of the South Carolina Consular Corps, and is President of the Latvian Freedom Fund endowment. His previous roles include motorsports marketing and global responsibilities in agricultural marketing and travel purchasing. He participates regularly in "The Latvian Davos" - annual economics and innovations networking conferences organized by the World Federation of Free Latvians in collaboration with the Government of Latvia (www.pleif.lv). Married with four boys, he and his wife Liene celebrated a recent anniversary on the Big Island in 2019.

 José Romão Leite Brás

Romão Brás is the vice-president of Finançor Group. Finançor operates mainly in the sectors of Agro-Food (animal feed, meat production, milk, and eggs) and tourism (three hotels) in the Azores. Finançor is regularly recognized as one of the top companies in the Azores by Publiçor, which annually awards the best and biggest companies in the Azores. In July 2020, Financor expanded its reach into food distribution in acquiring 12 supermarkets on three of the nine islands of the Azores. Financor also holds a minority interest in Aquazor which is a company that was set up to invest in offshore aquaculture in the Azores. In 2014, Brás was named “Businessperson of the Year” by Publiçor. Since 2018, Brás has served as the president of IACA – Portuguese Association of Compound Food Industry for Animals. In 2013, he was selected by the U.S. Embassy Lisbon to take part in a program on U.S. Agricultural Trade and Food Safety through the Department of State’s prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Brás has a degree in Engineering and Industrial Business from Instituto Superior Técnico.

Chandra Bertsch

Chandra Bertsch is the Co-Owner and General Manager of Holo Holo Charters. Living on Kaua'i since she was a kid really fostered a connection to the natural world and created her passion for sustainability, the island is a small example of how to manage limited resources and protect delicate ecosystems. She studied small business management/entrepreneurship and minored in managing for sustainability. She has utilized her role at Holo Holo Charters to support sustainability in the visitor industry and is passionate about educating visitors on how to travel responsibly on Kaua’i. She currently serves on the board of the Kauai Visitors Bureau, the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawai’i, and the Ocean Tourism Coalition.

Laurie Yoshida

Born and raised in Hawaii, Laurie Yoshida has spent many years advocating on behalf of several organizations on a wide variety of issues. Laurie is the Communications Manager for Corteva Agriscience in Hawaii and has extensive experience in communications and community relations on Kauai. Prior to joining Corteva Agriscience, she owned and operated a successful consulting firm, offering event planning and community outreach and engagement services for more than 14 years on Kauai. Laurie was also the Governor’s Liaison, President of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and Rotary District Governor providing her experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Bria Greer

Bria Greer is the Founding Creative Director of LEI of Kaua’i and Freelance Designer offering services through Brialei LLC. She is an advocate for spaces and the communities that bring ideas to life. After 15 years in the Commercial Interior Design Industry working with multi-disciplinary architectural teams delivering projects for corporate clients such as Microsoft and Google, she honed her skills to deliver award winning amenity spaces for Mixed Use Projects and the communities they served. Currently delivering Collaborative Learning Environments for Local Women Entrepreneurs and Innovators on Kauai after receiving this years Innovation Grant through the OED of Kauai. She is passionate about finding new ways to serve target audiences through a platform for resource sharing and built environments that nurture an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Erik Sebusch

Erik Sebusch is a Partner at Mercer Alternatives boutique, specifically focused on Private Equity. He is the Global Strategy Leader of Venture Capital and Growth Equity. Before Mercer, Erik was a Partner with a San Francisco-based Venture Capital / Growth Equity manager Presidio Partners FKA CMEA Capital. His primary duties were managing the corporate strategic investors, traditional institutional limited partners and early-stage technology investing. In addition, Erik served on the boards of multiple technology companies, led technology investments and served on the Investment Committee while at CMEA. Prior to CMEA, Erik spent nearly 12 years at UPS. Erik began in New Product Development, and Innovation then moved to the Corporate Venture Capital group and lastly worked as a Private Markets Portfolio Manager to over a $5 billion allocation to private assets in the $30+ billion UPS Pension. He has helped several corporations develop or revamp their corporate venture capital endeavors over the years. Before UPS, he spent ten years working as a high-net-worth financial consultant for Merrill Lynch in Honolulu and private practice for individuals and family offices while living in Waikiki. Erik holds an International MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management and serves on over 20 limited partner advisory boards.

Megan Fox

Megan is the Executive Director of Mālama Kaua’i, a community based nonprofit organization that has focused on increasing local food production and access for Kaua‘i since 2006. They strategize their work through a lens of resilience and sustainability, which leverages workforce and economic development efforts, partnerships and innovative programs to grow community capacity. They currently operate a variety of programs involving local food aggregation and distribution, farmer technical assistance, and farm to school.

Jaclyn K Kaina

Jackie has worked for Kauai Economic Development Board (KEDB) since December 2015. Her areas of focus are the development and construction of the Kauai Creative Technology Center, the update and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan (CEDS), as well as initiatives in Food and Agriculture, Science and Technology, Renewable Energy, and Education. Her current role as Program Director & Business Development involves strategic planning, development, and implementation of all initiatives to ensure that goals, objectives and all elements are accomplished within the prescribed time frame and funding parameters. As Program Director, she’s blessed to work with industry and community leaders as well as students and teachers. For Jackie, working with the community and having the ability to “give back” is the most rewarding part of her job.

Waylon Brun

Waylon Is the President of the Kauai Cattleman's Association. He has background in ranching and business!

View Last Year's Conference

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GROWING SUBSTANTIAL LEADERS
​Leadership Kaua'i is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing culturally based leadership programs, cultivating skilled and committed leaders to guide the people of Kaua‘i through sensitive social and economic challenges.