There are no bystanders at HEC—every person is actively engaged. As members of HEC, local and global leaders combine their knowledge and influence to expedite change that offers immediate and systemic benefits. The goal is to build and support a leadership culture that is risk-taking, collaborative, innovative, action-driven and results-focused.


The Hawaiʻi Executive Conference is a forum started in 1963 for CEOs and decision makers. Today, the Conference is a subsidiary of HEC, and together, it inspires and supports leaders who function as change agents for action. The annual flagship conference attracts nearly 100 CEOs and top executives from all sectors in Hawaiʻi and across the globe to help create a resilient state.Learn more [about Hawaii executive conference]

HEC organizes biweekly meetings with the mayors of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kaua‘i to help build trust, extend support, and create better alignment with the counties and local businesses. Some outcomes from the meetings include:

  • Providing support and alignment of Housing for All policy, Kama‘āina Hospitality Sentiment campaign, and COVID policy change
  • Establishing a public-private partnership with Hawaiʻi County and Island businesses to develop an app for the community
  • Connecting mayors to the CHANGE framework and providing opportunities for collaboration
  • Engaging business and philanthropy to support Keāhole Center for Sustainability

HEC helped to implement a $50 million loan program for small businesses on O‘ahu as a result of convenings with the Mayor of Honolulu.

HEC invited leaders from retail, restaurants, and landowners to develop a guide to reopening that government leaders could draw from as they set rules for business resumption.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for better communication and coordination among leadership across the state in all sectors. Here are some of the outcomes that resulted from HEC’s support and engagement:

AlohaSafe Alert

An app developed in partnership with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and aio Digital was created using Apple and Google exposure notification technology to anonymously let people know about their potential exposure to COVID-19.

More than 1.2 million Hawaiʻi residents and visitors activated AlohaSafe Alert. Learn more [about Aloha safe]

Hawaiʻi COVID Collaborative/COVID Pau

Through the House Select Committee, a hui of leaders from the health care, business, and nonprofit sectors launched the Hawaiʻi COVID Collaborative and COVID Pau to share important and timely information with the public, while providing expertise to policy makers to navigate difficult decisions. Learn more [Covid Pau]

Tourism Campaign

Hawaiʻi’s economic recovery required a restart of all industries, especially hospitality. The Hawaiʻi Hospitality Sentiment Program was created to help to address and improve resident sentiment toward the return of tourism, post-pandemic.

First-person stories illustrating the connection between the successful reopening of the hospitality industry and the stability of our island communities were featured via broadcast and social media.

COVID Conversations - Spotlight Hawaiʻi

HEC recognized the need to provide a community forum for residents to ask questions and get clarity from leaders and subject area experts. Hosts Ryan Kalei Tsuji and Yunji De Nies moderate a live online program on the Honolulu Star Advertiser’s Facebook page that can be accessed via multiple outlets, allowing leaders to respond to specific questions.

The program initially attracted over 15,000 daily viewers and has since increased its audience. Now called “Spotlight,” it was fully adopted by the Star Advertiser and continues to air today. Learn more [about COVID conversations and view episodes]