By Staff Reports
(Kauai)– On Friday, March 12th, 2021, Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union will launch the first Hawaii Sister Society Chapter meeting of the Global Women’s Leadership Network, commemorating International Women’s Day.
As 2020 comes to a close, we have seen inequality gaps widen throughout our communities more than ever, particularly amongst women impacted by COVID19. But we’ve also seen women like First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and US Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman take their place at the forefront of a new and dynamic cadre of global female leaders.
Recognized by the United Nations, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day to recognize how far we’ve come towards gender equality, and also how far we have left to go.
The Hawaii Sister Society’s mission is to bring together a coalition of women leaders in and beyond the credit union industry to forge equitable COVID relief and transform Hawaii’s economy with women as the key players in transformational change.
Join us for a dynamic discussion of diversity, equity and inclusion at the inaugural Hawaii Sister Society meeting of the Global Women’s Leadership Network. The event features two powerful millennial leaders: Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union
CEO Monica Belz and Khara Jabola-Carolus, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women.
Details:
Virtual Launch of the Hawaii Sister Society via Zoom
Friday, March 12, 2021
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM (link to follow)
Sign up and share! This event is not limited to credit union members. Where you are an employee, an entrepreneur, a mother or a father, your voice is welcome.
“Hawaii is unique in its economic and social challenges and we need to meet these unique challenges with a diverse set of skills, with women at the center to lead the way,” says Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union CEO Monica Belz, who is pioneering the launch of GWLN in Hawaii.
Belz has been called a “fearless spirit.” As President and CEO of Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union (KGEFCU), she has been living social entrepreneurship since her teens. A mother of three, she surfs, snowboards and rock climbs and her beliefs embody a generation of millennials who value diversity, equity and inclusion. She is deeply invested in KGEFCU’s mantra “from Kauai, for Kauai, and dedicated to serving those who teach, protect and care for the people of Kauai.”
In partnership with community and charitable organizations and federal funding agencies, this small Kauai credit union, founded in 1947, has delivered over 11 million dollars in aid since March, in the form of rent relief, emergency response loans, business boost programs and start up investments such as the Common Ground Incubator and Accelerator Programs.
About Keynote Speaker Khara Jabola-Carolus
Khara Jabola-Carolus is the Executive Director of the Hawai’i State Commission on the Status of Women, a government agency in the United States dedicated to restoring the venerated status of women, femme-identified and non-binary people. Khara is the only millennial to direct a statewide government agency in Hawaii. Previously, she led the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights where she passed landmark legislation that extended driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. She
earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaii with a specialization in Native Hawaiian law and has performed fellowships at the United States Senate, Hawaii Supreme Court, and Committee to Protect Journalists. Her family is from Laguna, Philippines.
About Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union CEO Monica Belz
As President and CEO of Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union, Monica Belz shapes a dynamic island vision for economic growth grounded in sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Her 20 years of experience in social impact community development complements a diverse portfolio of work that includes disaster relief, wilderness survival and first aid, documentary filmmaking, numerous humanitarian projects and stints as an EMT Firefighter and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.
Her pioneering spirit has taken her on global expeditions to 45 countries on four continents. Hawaii Sister Society Leadership Committee Ivory Kealani Lloyd, KGEFCU Monica Belz, KGEFCU Chantal Zarbaugh, KGEFCU Charity Texeira Figuerres, Lanai FCU Stacie Rosa, Hawaii USA FCU