Movers and Shakas

Check us out in Midweek featuring our Closing Pau Hana for Cohort 6 of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program. Mayor Rick Blangiardi along with Managing Director Michael Formby and Deputy Managing Director Krishna Jayaram attended the celebration to congratulate our cohort participants. For 2025 cohort enrollment, please visit https://lnkd.in/gSJzdwsu or email info@moversandshakas.org.

Mahalo to Katie Helland of Pacific Business News on this in-depth article on how and why Movers and Shakas was created and how it has evolved since the pandemic to focus on acculturating new leaders and executives to Hawaii through its signature program the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP). Our Executive Director Nicole Lim shares her story on how she got involved with our organization and also provides a sneak peek of a new program to look forward to next year that focuses on bringing kama'aina leaders home to grow Hawaii's economy. https://lnkd.in/gjvy92X6

Mahalo to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi along with Managing Director Michael Formby and Deputy Managing Director Krishna Jayaram for attending our Closing Pau Hana to congratulate all 24 participants of Cohort 6. This cohort included two Chief Data Officers for the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii. With the addition of Cohort 6, a total of 157 newly-transferred leaders and executives to Hawaii have been acculturated since the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program's inception since 2022. Our Cohort 6 participants enjoyed listening to Mayor Blangiardi provide inspiring congratulatory remarks during the celebration: “Congratulations and mahalo to all the participants of HITOP’s Cohort 6, including our Chief Data Officers at both the State and City levels,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “We are deeply grateful to Movers and Shakas for this unique and worthwhile program; bridging economic and community needs, welcoming newcomers, and strengthening our local talent pool and economy through the HITOP program. The power of human connection is invaluable! While many new residents come to Hawaiʻi for the beauty, they find themselves staying for the people, and HITOP helps them build those authentic and often lifelong relationships.” For more information or to register for HITOP’s Cohort 7 in Spring 2025, please visit https://lnkd.in/gSJzdwsu. 

Cohort 6 of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program kicked off with an orientation followed by cultural education and community workday at Ka'ala Farm located in Wai'anae. Our new cohort of 25 participants had the opportunity to meet each other as well as learn about the traditional Hawaiian agricultural system while working to restore and produce kalo in the lo'i as our ancestors did for centuries. Mahalo to Ka'ala Farm for their continued partnership in helping acculturate our new leaders to Hawaii. To sign up for our newsletter for news and updates about upcoming cohorts and events, please visit https://lnkd.in/gkfxsqAJ.

Earlier this month, a group of our HITOP alumni along with their partners and kids volunteered to assist Helping Hands Hawaii sort, organize and log hundreds of school supplies and other donations to distribute to families in need. This community project is the first of many that our alumni board is planning this year going into next year. The alumni board was formed earlier this year by graduates of HITOP cohorts 1-5 as a way to continue engagement in the community as newly relocated residents of Hawai'i.

Limited spots are still available for Cohort 6 beginning this Fall! Registration closes Friday, August 2. Mahalo to Stephanie Salmons for this recent story on our upcoming cohort. For more information or to register, please email Executive Director Nicole Lim at nicole@moversandshakas.org. https://lnkd.in/gDf-FKUz

Registration is now open for Cohort 6 of the Hawaiʻi Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP)! The six-week community and cultural orientation program scheduled for Fall 2024 is designed for recently relocated residents and returning kama’āina to learn about Hawaiʻi’s culture, take part in community service, and network with professionals across industries. Participants are enrolled through their employers and registration is open through August 2, 2024 with activities commencing in September. Register today by emailing Executive Director Nicole Lim at nicole@moversandshakas.org.

Meet Curtis Fessler, CPWA® CEPA®, Senior Vice President & Senior Wealth Strategist at Bank of Hawaii, who is a proud alumnus of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program’s Cohort 5 (Spring 2024). Curtis and his wife Emily Kahumoku-Fessler, PHD, LMFTS lived on the continent for more than 20 years before deciding to move to Hawai'i to raise their children and start new careers. They both participated in Cohort 5 together. "One of my colleagues and mentors at Bank of Hawaii, who moved here from Seattle with his wife, participated in the first series of cohorts of HITOP and felt so strongly that this program would be so beneficial to me and my wife Emily," said Curtis. "I'm thankful to him for sharing his experience and providing us with the opportunity to participate." Learn more about Curtis' story in a recent interview with Burt Lum of Bytemarks Cafe (Hawaii Public Radio): https://lnkd.in/gktm6w7F

Congratulations to the 22 executives and leaders of Cohort 5 for officially completing the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program! Over the past six weeks, these newly relocated residents representing Hawaii's top companies and organizations acculturated into their new home through cultural education, community service and leadership training, walking away with a stronger sense of belonging to Hawaii. Mahalo to U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda for providing congratulatory remarks to Cohort 5 at the end of the program during the graduation ceremony. “Congratulations to the HITOP Cohort 5 graduates on the commitment they have made to first learn, understand, and engage with the community and culture of Hawai‘i as they put down roots and make this place home,” said Rep. Tokuda. “Mahalo to everyone who has made HITOP a success, making it their mission to prepare new residents and leaders to better understand our people, our land, and our culture. I look forward to seeing where this new journey takes them and how they will help shape our community.” https://lnkd.in/g3PnTrcP

Mahalo to Howard Dicus of Hawaii News Now for having us on Sunrise this morning. Our Executive Director Nicole Lim spoke to Howard about the growth of the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP) since its launch two years ago and all of the key benefits it provides for the State of Hawai'i, for employers and also for participants who are newly transferred to Hawai'i. https://lnkd.in/gDChE9XQ