About Us

ACTIVITY

The Hawai’i Pacific Foundation enriches Native Hawaiians through partner-leveraged contributions supporting education, workforce development, economic stability, and community development. We succeed through opportunities that foster cultural development, contributing to strong, vibrant Native Hawaiian communities.

OUR FIRMS

The Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation operates several businesses that represent a variety of industries and marketplaces. They are committed in supporting The Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation’s mission to provide opportunities to Native Hawaiian communities.

THE NHO PROGRAM

Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHO) are community service organizations serving Native Hawaiian communities. They must have majority ownership of an entity participating in the Small Business Administration 8(a) business development program. Due to the program’s unique requirements, profits from NHO-owned 8(a) program participants are used to benefit Hawaiian communities.

Board of directors

The Small Business Administration requires a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO) be principally managed by Native Hawaiians. The Hawai`i Pacific Foundation’s Board of Directors is made up of four talented members; three of which are Native Hawaiian. They possess education and experience in areas such as accounting, business management, information technology, leadership, project management and strategic planning and implementation. They are bound together through their desire to serve Hawai`i and to contribute to the welfare of Hawaiian communities in keeping with the core values of ALOHA (love and respect), MĀLAMA (nurture), LŌKAHI (collaboration) and PONO (integrity and balance).

Edwin A. (Skip) Vincent, BRIG GEN, USAF (RET), Chairman / Treasurer

Edwin “Skip” Vincent retired with the rank of Brigadier General in 2010. With 37 years of military service as an active duty member of the Hawai`i Air National Guard, Skip served five combat tours and held various command and staff positions at the Pentagon, Hawaiʻi State Headquarters, as well as in the field. Through his leadership experience, he gained the skills and passion to promote collaboration over conflict by way of relationship and capacity building.

After careful consideration and with God’s blessing, Skip founded The Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation (HPF) as a Native Hawaiian Organization to help others.

As Chairman of the Board, he helps guide and mediate Board actions with respect to organizational priorities and governance concerns in support of HPF’s non-profit purpose and congressionally mandated mission. He also monitors financial planning and financial reports.

Debbi Eleneki (RET Fire Department), Director

In her nearly 32 years of dedicated service in the Honolulu Fire Department, Debbi Eleneki demonstrated unparalleled leadership qualities, uniquely refined management skills, strong communication skills and a relentless effort to strive for both personal and departmental excellence. Throughout her journey as HFD’s First Female Fire Fighter to First Female Fire Captain and retiring as HFD’s First Female Battalion Chief, Debbi has also been recognized as a Women’s History Month Honoree, Mayor appointed member of the Honolulu County Committee on the Status of Women, HFD Uniformed Employee of the Year and as a Keynote Speaker for the Organization of Women Leaders. She is currently a mentor and serves as a Board of Director for Kūkolu, a non-profit organization birthed out of aloha lāhui, love for the collective Hawaiian society – its history, culture, people and potential. She also serves as a Fire Commissioner, leveraging her years of experience to bring value to the Honolulu Fire Department and our community.

Dr. Walt Kaneakua, Vice Chairman

Dr. Walt Kaneakua, a retired Air Force Colonel with 27 years of active-duty service in both the US Air Force and the Hawaii National Guard, serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of the Hawaii Pacific Foundation (HPF), a non-profit Native Hawaiian Organization based in Honolulu, Hawaii. In his dual role, Dr. Kaneakua oversees the Strategic Planning Committee and part of HPF’s charitable giving portfolio, while also serving as a voting member on the Board of Directors.

Born and raised on the mainland and in Europe, Dr. Kaneakua returned to Hawaii for his education, attending the Kamehameha Schools and earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. His commitment to education continues as he teaches as an adjunct professor at Pacific Rim Christian University and the U.S. Naval War College at Pearl Harbor.

With a diverse career spanning military, governmental, and educational sectors, Dr. Kaneakua brings a wealth of experience to his role at HPF. He was the first commander of the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron and later served in various capacities in Washington D.C., including as Executive Assistant for military affairs for the late Senator Dan Inouye and as Military Liaison for Senator Mazie Hirono. Additionally, he served as the District Director for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

Jeanine DeFries, CEO & President / Board Secretary

Jeanine DeFries is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a BA in Hawaiian Studies. She is an accomplished Corporate Executive with over two decades of leadership experience and extensive skills in operations excellence, team development, change management and policy implementation, production planning & strategy, and consumer product sales.

As The Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation’s President and CEO, she is the senior corporate executive and highest-ranking operational decision-maker responsible for carrying out the plans and policies established by the board of directors.

As Board Secretary, she serves on the Board of Directors as a voting member in support of HPF’s non-profit purpose and congressionally mandated mission.