Following six weeks of immersing a group of newly relocated residents into Hawai‘i’s culture, history and community, Movers and Shakas proudly presents the Cohort 6 graduates of its highly-acclaimed Hawai‘i Talent Onboarding Program (HITOP). Twenty-four business executives and leaders representing Hawai‘i’s top companies and organizations acculturated into their new Island home through cultural education, community service and leadership training, walking away with a deeper understanding of the true meaning of kuleana and a stronger sense of belonging to Hawai‘i.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi of the City and County of Honolulu attended the program’s Closing Pau Hana along with Managing Director Michael Formby and Deputy Managing Director Krishna Jayaram, to provide remarks and congratulate the cohort graduates.
“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 Honolulu Mayor Rick 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.”
The completion of Cohort 6 also marks more than two years since HITOP first launched in Spring 2022, acculturating a total of 157 leaders since its inception. Participants in Cohort 6 included State of Hawai‘i Chief Data Officer Rebecca Cai and City and County of Honolulu Chief Data Officer Kira Chuchom.
“We congratulate all 24 leaders and executives of Cohort 6 for going the extra mile as new and returning residents of Hawai‘i to deepen their understanding of their home,” said Nicole Lim, Executive Director of Movers and Shakas. “We reached a new milestone with this cohort, officially surpassing the 150 mark of participants, and would like to thank all of the companies and organizations who have enrolled their leaders in our program since the beginning and helped us fulfill our mission of strengthening Hawai‘i’s economy and community.”
The following executives and leaders are members of HITOP’s Cohort 6:
| COMPANY | GRADUATE | TITLE |
| Bank of Hawai‘i | Oxana Mirzoyev | VP, Director Customer Experience Insights |
| Murad Mirzoyev | (Spouse of Oxana Mirzoyev) | |
| Bayer | Kelly Tucker | Field and Facility Integrity Specialist |
| City and County of Honolulu | Kira Chuchom | Chief Data Officer |
| First Hawaiian Bank | Rachel Mikulec | SVP and Change Management Division Manager |
| Hale Kipa | Ron Much | Chief Programming Officer |
| Hawaii Pacific University | Maureen Silva | VP and Advancement |
| Hawaii Pacific University | Deonne Yeager | Dean of Students |
| Hawaii Pacific University | Rachel Schultz | Chief Operating Officer |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii | Jordan Fox | Deputy Director |
| Mid-Pacific Institute | Stephen Ly | Middle and High School Principal |
| Navian Hawaii | Dan Haire | President and CEO |
| Punahou School | Steven Casey | Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admissions |
| Servco Pacific Inc. | Diana Brown | Chief People Officer |
| State of Hawaii | Rebecca Cai | Chief Data Officer |
| Teach for America | Kristin Borchers | Managing Director, Leadership Development |
| Teach for America | Garrett Gage | Teacher |
| U.S. Air Force | Ray Bradley | Director of Staff, 15th Wing |
| U.S. Army Pacific | Sonia Greer | Analyst |
| U.S. Army Pacific | Sara Ressler | Ready and Resilient Program Deputy |
| U.S. Army Pacific | Ben Coleman | G6 Executive Protocol Officer |
| U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii | Rachel Sullivan | Garrison Commander |
| Young Brothers | Shannon Lum | Director, Human Services |
SUPPORT FROM HAWAI‘I’S COMMUNITY LEADERS AND PARTNERS
Cohort 6’s six-week program included three community workdays with participating partners Ka‘ala Farm, Hale Kipa and The Pantry by Feeding Hawai‘i Together, as well as leadership training workshops, networking events and talk-story sessions through partnerships with Leadership Works, ‘Iolani Palace, cultural practitioners, and community leaders such as Senator Glenn Wakai.
HELPING NEW RESIDENTS DEEPEN THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING IN HAWAI‘I
Based on surveys from past cohorts, 100% of participants improved their understanding of the host culture, 89% improved their sense of Hawai‘i as home, and 90% of participants improved their work effectiveness and deepened their sense of belonging in Hawai‘i. Additionally, many of the companies that participated in the inaugural cohort continued enrollment in its subsequent cohorts including Cohort 6.
“Although I spent many years as a young child living in Hawaiʻi, I moved away in high school and grew up professionally on the East Coast,” said Diana Brown, Chief People Officer at Servco Pacific Inc. “Returning to Hawaiʻi as a business leader, it was important to me to learn more about cultural and social norms so I can better support the communities I’m a part of and the teams I lead. I’m so grateful for the HITOP program and the thoughtful acculturation and awareness it provided me in deepening my understanding and appreciation of what makes Hawaiʻi a unique and wonderful place to live, work, and play.”
For more information or to register for HITOP’s Cohort 7 in Spring 2025, please visit www.moversandshakas.org/enroll.
About Movers and Shakas
Movers and Shakas is a non-profit that runs place-based, community orientation programs designed to empower and retain recently relocated key talent to learn, contribute and connect in their new home, Hawaiʻi. For more information on the Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program and other programs, visit www.moversandshakas.org.