Honolulu attorney Joanne Lo Grimes has taken the reins as Board Chair of PBS Hawaiʻi, succeeding Hilo business leader Jason Fujimoto, who remains an active Board Member.

Joanne, the former Board Vice Chair, is a 2019 Women Who Mean Business honoree, singled out by Pacific Business News. Originally planning to go into business, she earned a master’s degree in business administration. Later, she found that law was her calling. Her legal practice makes use of her training in business and as a certified financial planner, as she advises businesses, nonprofit organizations and trusts. She is the first woman Co-Chair and a partner of the 162-year-old law firm Carlsmith Ball. In her civic life, she recently served as President of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi.

I’ve seen that this wife and mother of three grown children is a master at balancing goals and priorities. Despite her many other obligations, she is fully present in her unpaid PBS Hawai‘i Board role. She is a keen listener, observer and analyst, with a positive outlook and a remarkable ability to synthesize information. Embracing complex challenges, she notes that people don’t hire lawyers when the answers are clear.

Joanne Lo Grimes
New Board Chair

“These are times of great opportunity and challenge, and it’s an honor to help steward this precious community resource into the future,” Joanne says.

“I’m excited about the year ahead, as PBS Hawaiʻi completes the final year of its three-year strategic plan and develops a new strategic plan to guide us for the following three years.”

Theresia McMurdo
New Board Member

Joanne’s fellow seasoned Board officers are Vice Chair Bettina Mehnert, President and CEO of Architects Hawaii; Treasurer Kent Tsukamoto, Managing Partner of Accuity Certified Public Accountants; and Joy Miura Koerte, a partner at Fujita & Miura Public Relations, based on Kauaʻi.

Ryan Kaipo Nobriga
New Board Member

And we’re so pleased to welcome these new Board directors: Theresia McMurdo, Chief Operating Officer of the IT consulting company Cetra Technology; Ryan Kaipo Nobriga, Vice President of Finance at Hawaiian Dredging Construction; and Kūha‘o Zane, Creative Director of Hilo-based Sig Zane Designs and SZKaiao.

Kūha‘o Zane
New Board Member

I’m proud to work with this fine Board and my skilled staff in a rapidly evolving media landscape, mindful that we’re all here to serve the best interests of the people of Hawaiʻi.

Aloha Nui,