“AJ has a long record of serving our community and creating positive change in thoughtful and innovative ways,” said Jennifer Sabas, board member of Hawai‘i Leadership Forum. “He builds bridges, and we are thrilled to have him continue our mission of creating broad and durable improvements across Hawai‘i.”

“I’m honored to join the Hawai‘i Leadership Forum, an organization I’ve collaborated with for many years and one that I believe will help bring about transformative change to Hawai‘i,” said Halagao, “This program cultivates and leverages the talents of strong leaders, build connections across sectors, and helps to create an even better future for the next generation of island leaders.”

Halagao currently serves as vice president of corporate & community advancement at Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI) and president of the HEI Charitable Foundation, where he leads charitable giving efforts. Since 2012, he has steered more than $25 million in scholarships, donations and grants to local nonprofits in four key focus areas: environmental sustainability, economic strength, educational excellence and community resilience.

Halagao also chairs the Honolulu Grants-in-Aid Advisory Commission, HawaiiKidsCAN board of directors, and the Filipino Community Center board of governors. He serves as vice chair of the University of Hawai‘i Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) and PBS Hawai‘i board of directors. He is also a board member at After-School All-Stars and East-West Center Foundation.

Halagao earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business; a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law; and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the Pacific Century Fellows class of 2007 and HLF’s Omidyar Fellows Cohort II since 2014. Earlier this year, Halagao was selected as a 20 for the Next 20 by Hawaii Business Magazine.

Mike Mohr will continue to serve on the Hawai‘i Leadership Forum board of directors.

About Hawai‘i Leadership Forum

The Hawai‘i Leadership Forum (HLF) is dedicated to broad and durable improvements across Hawaiʻi. A part of The Omidyar Group, HLF receives funding from the Omidyar ‘Ohana Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

HLF’s cornerstone program, Omidyar Fellows, seeks to enhance connections among leaders and improve their capabilities and desires to mobilize their organizations to pursue durable change. Omidyar Fellows believes that effective leadership is essential to the development of a community of engaged citizens and creating a more resilient Hawaiʻi. Leaders help make sense of our current reality, provide a vision for what is possible, build relationships, and address sticky, complex problems. The Omidyar Fellows program is dedicated to making positive movement on Hawai‘i’s most pressing issues. 

For more information about The Omidyar Fellows, please visit www.omidyarfellows.org.