Easter Seals Disability Services

About Us
History and Background
Being a Part of the Bigger Picture
Senior Management
Board of Directors
Foundation Board

Easter Seals Hawai’i provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.

Easter Seals Hawai‘i has been serving special needs children, youth and adults for over 60 years. We provide more than 400,000 hours of direct service annually to individuals and families across the state.

All funds raised by Easter Seals Hawaii remain in Hawaii and help us carry on our tradition of creating solutions and changing lives.

History and Background

In 1946, Edward and Olga Sultan founded the Sultan Foundation Nursery School. With the further support of a group of business leaders and parents, committed to helping children with disabilities, the vision of the Sultans was expanded and The Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children was founded. Charter members included Dorothy Devereux, Olga Sultan, Governor John Burns and Judge Chuck Mau. After expanding its mission to include serving adults with disabilities, the name of the organization changed to Easter Seals Hawai’i. Duke Kahanamoku and Hilo Hattie have also been an important part of the Easter Seals’ family.

The Sultan School offered the first Early Intervention program of its kind in the United States and has since served as an Early Intervention model at the national level. The Sultan Early Intervention program continues to be the cornerstone of Easter Seals Hawai’i.

Being A Part of the Bigger Picture

Easter Seals Hawai'i is part of a national organization that has been providing services and programs to individuals with special needs for 90 years. Easter Seals is recognized universally for its system of identifying the needs of people with disabilities and providing services to effectively meet these needs. National Easter Seals was instrumental in the passage of the 1992 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

National Easter Seals was founded in 1919 in Ohio with the help of the Rotary. Easter Seals is acknowledged as the second largest care organization in the world. It has over 100 affiliates across the country and for the past 24 years has been recognized by the National Health Council as the agency who allocated the largest amount of program dollars for direct clients services in the United States.

Senior Management John F. Howell President/CEO Norman Kawakami Sr. Vice President, Operations Lee Ann Matsuda Sr. Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Anastasia Keller-Collins Vice President of Program Development Kathryn Harper Director of Development Esther Underwood Director of Human Resources Oahu Rex Akutagawa Accounting Manager Eric Arverson Program Manager, Assistive Technology Lori Lutu Program Manager, Oahu Support Services Paula Fitzell Program Manager, Sultan Early Intervention Michelle Kane Program Manager, Adult Day Health (Ewa) Hugh Khim Information Technology Manager Heidi Kubo Director of Charitable Gifts Elizabeth Mekuria Program Manager, Honolulu Adult Day Health (Central Union) Virg Palank Human Resources Manager Carrie Pisciotto Program Manager, Kailua Early Intervention Charlene Robles Quality Assurance and Special Projects Manager Janice Shintani Program Manager, Kapolei Early Intervention Megan Torres Youth Services, LEAP Dawn Williams Program Manager, East Sultan Early Intervention Program (Kaimuki) Melia Young Assistant to the CEO Maui Melissa King-Hubert Program Manager, Adult Day Health & Support Services Kauai Candace Bishop Interim Program Manager, Early Intervention Ellen Ching Program Manager, Home & Community Based Services Hilo Wendy Correa Program Manager, Early Intervention Tisha Takazawa Program Manager, Hilo Support Services Board of Directors Mark Matheson, Board Chair Alfonso Afos, Kauai Island Sue Berk Rhonda Black, Ph.D. Ron Brandvold Mark Bratton Jim Burns Patricia Coon, Kauai Island Chris Dang Anna Elento-Sneed George Freitas, Kauai Island Terri Fujii Diane Hastert, National Board Member Harvey Henderson, Jr. Jeff Hendrix Mike Hulser Fred Ida, Emeritus Christine Ing, Kauai Island Jean Johnson, Ph.D. James Kerr Matt Liew Dr. Francis Liu Robert Moore Dean Nagatoshi Dr. Sue Palumbo Sean Priester Don Robbs, Emeritus Dick Sears Edward Sultan, Ex Officio Michael Tam Mason Williams Lee Wilson, Hawaii Island Alan Wong Foundation Board Ron Brandvold Chris Dang, Chair Diane Hastert Fred Ida Gary Kirby Mark Matheson Sharon McPhee Brad Nagano, Kauai Island George Weir Carleton Williams

Easter Seals Hawaii participant artwork Easter Seals Hawaii participant artwork Easter Seals Hawaii participant artwork