State of Aloha Neil Hannahs

AUGUST 2009 PRESENTS State of Aloha Neil Hannahs FormerA Sense Chair, PBS ofHawaii Gratitude Board of Directors and Accomplishment Longtime PBS Hawaii Board Chairman Neil Hannahs recently passed the baton to a new Chair, Robbie Alm. In the following essay, Neil shares recollections and reflections about leading Hawaii’s only public television station into new territory, from State agency to proud private nonprofit organization. The vital change took place just nine years ago…. - Leslie Wilcox, President and CEO On June 30, I was among several long-serving individuals who retired from the board in compliance with term limit provisions of our by- Dearlaws. Mahalo PBS to Hawaii Bob Ozaki, ‘Ohana, David Leonard, Tom Wellman, Cheryl Hetherington, Rick Tsujimura and Susan Eichor for joining this organization during its infancy and guiding our transition from State agency to private foundation. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the privi- lege of serving as board chairman since the founding of the Hawaii Public Television Foundation (HPTF) in 1997. Retiring board members (from left) Rick Tsujimura, Susan Eichor, Cheryl Hetherington and Neil Hannahs. My association with this organization began in 1986 upon my appointment to the Hawaii Public Broad- casting Authority (HPBA). My children, who are now 31, 27 and 26, were 8, 4 and 3 at the time. My wife, Mariane, was young then…as she is today. I am indebted to them for their support of my service. In the late 1980s, the “Japanese bubble” fueled a booming economy and rapid growth of our budget, staff and local productions. But it was like a booster rocket on a space craft. It gave us the power to launch, then fizzled fast and left us to cope with shrinking our commitments to sustainable scale. During the ensuing economic trough, we reduced staff, cut services and worried that a failure to gain State support to fulfill mandated digital conversion might jeopardize our FCC license and very existence. We concluded that the best strategy for survival was to form a private foundation and engineer passage of legislation to transfer our FCC license from the State to a community licensee. In 1997, we filed articles of incorporation to form HPTF and recruited many of the charter board members who are now, or have recently, retired from office. HPBA staff competed for roles within the new organization or sought transfer to other State posi- tions – the process left some casualties and emo- tional scarring. Retiring PBS Hawaii Board Chairman Neil Hannahs welcomes new PBS Hawaii Board Chair, Robbie Alm (top) and Lisa Levine, Vice President of Development, presents a gift from PBS Hawaii to Neil Hannahs, who has served on the PBS Hawaii Board since 1986. From left: New board member, Kawika Kahiapo, performs during Neil Hannahs’ last board meeting; Neil Hannahs and former PBS President and CEO, Mike McCartney; outgoing board member Susan Eichor. But operations were uninterrupted by the changeover thanks our public television station. We hired Leslie confident that she to the leadership of CEO Don Robbs and experienced staff who possessed extraordinary qualifications and her performance has sacrificed the security of government employment to join the exceeded our lofty expectations. team of this fledgling start-up. To heal the wounds of transition, we sought the high touch leadership of Mike McCartney upon The years have brought many changes, but also some notewor- Don’s retirement. Mike’s encouraging style and team-building thy constants for which we should all be grateful. Namely, initiatives succeeded in unifying staff and board as an ‘ohana with a shared agenda. • the faithful and generous support of our PBS membership; • loyal and competent staff; and When Mike left to pursue other career goals, the board was • Karen Yamamoto’s unwavering management of our financial thrilled that an individual of Leslie Wilcox’s caliber would leave a resources. high profile position in commercial media to assume the helm of It has been an honor to serve the worthy mission of PBS Hawaii with capable, dedicated, and self-less individuals who have per- formed with distinction. I admire their professionalism and will long be comforted by the warmth of their friendship. PBS Hawaii has accomplished much over the last decade, but a review of past achievements is an imperfect gage of contribu- tion and progress. A more meaningful measure can be found in the capacity of an organization to manage leadership transitions without disruption to mission and on-going improvement. As I survey the talent we have recruited to the board and staff to serve under Robbie Alm’s and Leslie’s inspired leadership, I am convinced that retiring board members can hand over the reigns of responsibility with a sense of gratitude, accomplishment and confidence. Mahalo, aloha and imua PBS Hawaii. Neil Hannahs with wife, Mariane, and new board chair, Robbie Alm. PBS Hawaii Board of Directors Chair Vice Chair Andrew Aoki Alan Hoffman Cameron Nekota RobertSecretary Alm Carolyn Berry Hokulani Holt Marissa Sandblom Jimmy Borges Joan Lee Husted David Watumull RonaldTreasurer Hansen Keiki-Pua Dancil, Ph.D. Kawika Kahiapo Robin Puanani Danner Ian Kitajima Tim Johns Guy Fujimura Thomas Koide Ken Hiraki Bill Mills Jason Fujimoto DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER ANNE MISAWA TALKS ABOUT HER LATEST PROJECT State THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 | 7:30PM Anne Misawa is the Producer/Director of the Ms. Misawa told PBS Hawaii the documentary’s PBSH: How did ACM students become statehood Statedocumentary Aloha of Aloha scheduled to premiere title comes from a March 13, 1959 sermon given involved in “State of Aloha”? How many Thursday, August 27 at 7:30PM – part of a by Reverend Abraham Akaka: students worked on this project over what 2-hourof special, Insights on PBS Hawaii period of time? Presents . “The fears Hawaii may have are to be met by men and women who are living witnesses of what MISAWA: The research project, then titled The documentary was made by students at we really are in Hawaii, of the spirit of Aloha, simply, “The Hawaii Statehood Project,” the University of Hawaii’s Academy of Creative men and women who can help unlock the doors started in 2004 and actually includes quite a Media (ACM). Ms. Misawa grew up in Hawaii to the future by the guidance and grace of God. bit of research and documentation that goes and came back for a teaching position which This kind of self-affirmation is the need of the beyond this State of Aloha one-hour piece. she says, “came hand in hand with directing this hour. And we can affirm our being, as the Aloha Our first batch of interviews involved about research project.” The students were also State, by full participation in our nation and in 30 key interviewees in the 2004 summer, assisted by other professional mentors our world. For any collective anxiety, the answer ranging from Senator Daniel Inouye to Don throughout production. is collective courage.” Ho to Bumpy Kanahele, etc. We had students CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >> Join host Dan Boylan and the Visit pbshawaii.org for a photo Follow the LIVE discussion each INSIGHTS panel for a live discus- gallery and more information on week on the PBS Hawaii TWITTER sion immediately following the State of Aloha. page and our LIVE Blog. premiere of State of Aloha. From left, social activist Ah Quon McElrath, former Governor George Ariyoshi, writer Stephanie Launiu. work alongside professional mentors on all MISAWA: Yes, the funding is from a General It’s such a huge endeavor that it was quite in- aspects of production ever since. Services Administration grant, (a federal timidating trying to figure out what aspect of grant) intended for research. ACM pitched a Hawaii statehood we should focus on, what There has been a tremendous amount of research topic on Hawaii statehood culminat- to research and explore and document, and students involved since 2004. There are ing in documentation that would result in a what would be included and what would have students who were involved in research and documentary format video project that could to be shifted out of this finalState of Aloha production of their documentary shorts on be used for educational distribution. video documentary project. the statehood topic within the classroom setting, as well as students involved in the PBSH: What were the biggest challenges in The topic in itself could easily be a miniseries. documentary on a volunteer basis. telling the story behind Hawaii’s statehood? Trying to edit a cohesive hour-long story, while trying to be respectful and comprehen- PBSH: Was it really intended to be strictly a MISAWA: There was no focus or approach sive of all the various viewpoints, was one of research project? Why? mandated by the source of the grant. We the hardest challenges. were free to explore the topic as we saw fit. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >> From left, Dodie Brown and Cultural Specialist Pat Namaka Bacon, actor Jason Scott Lee, former Governor Bill Quinn and wife Nancy Quinn. Filmmaking, I find, is always a compromise documentary shorts and segments and having a lot of informed historical context weighed by practicalities and involves a rec- interviewed a lot of their own family and to their opinions. This process of examining ognition that we can’t often include every- community members. the history from personal narratives of wit- thing that we want to or should. nesses and academics allowed them a more PBSH: Now that the program is completed, well-rounded insight into what the motiva- As we worked and researched, it became what do the students think about the tions were for people in Hawaii towards clear that it would be important to show in finished product? What do you think they statehood, and also against it, as well as State of Aloha the historical steps towards learned from becoming so involved in the being able to recognize the complexity of its statehood for Hawaii, the motivating forces history behind Hawaii’s statehood? legacy and the issues surrounding the cur- that wanted or did not want statehood, as rent dialogue of statehood and sovereignty.

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