Director’s Desk: Work Ahead

   Director’s Desk: The Work Ahead   

       Building What Our Communities Deserve     

Since announcing the next chapter for ChangeMakers, the outpouring of aloha and encouragement has been incredible. Every message, handshake, and conversation reminds me how deeply people believe in our mission to build equitable economic opportunity rooted in aloha ʻāina, cultural integrity, and community impact. But with that belief also comes the expectation that we will deliver, that we will continue to show up, and that we will make good on the promises of the work we’ve begun.

The road ahead is not easy work. Real community change never is. It requires more than programs and plans. It requires persistence, coordination, and the willingness to look closely at systems that no longer serve us. It asks us to rebuild them, brick by brick, with compassion and accountability guiding every hand. That’s the type of work that ChangeMakers was built for.

Our Priorities, Pillars, and Pathways are not just ideas on paper; they are our map forward. We will need to strengthen every part of the system — from financial education and access to capital, to small business mentorship, to workforce development and social enterprise support. The work ahead means bridging silos, bringing together partners who don’t often sit at the same table, and ensuring that opportunity reaches those who’ve been left behind for far too long.

Amid all the excitement, we also know the magnitude of what’s before us. One of the most meaningful responsibilities we’ve recently accepted is stewardship of the Hawaiʻi Island Workforce Connections Center (HIWCC). Part of the American Job Center network, the HIWCC is a critical space where job seekers, employers, educators, and training providers converge. This opportunity expands not just our reach, but our responsibility to build a truly connected workforce system — one that meets people where they are and helps them move forward with dignity and direction.

We’ll share more about this incredible step in the days ahead through an official press release, but for now, I want to recognize what it represents: trust. The trust of our partners, our funders, and most importantly, our community. Trust that ChangeMakers can help lead this next era of workforce transformation on Hawaiʻi Island. That trust is sacred, and we intend to honor it fully.

The path forward is full of long days and heavy lifts, but also filled with the light of purpose, of possibility, and of the people we serve. Every project we take on, every class we teach, every business we support, and every life we help move forward brings us closer to the Hawaiʻi we know is possible.

We have a lot of work to do. That’s the best kind of problem to have.