Get to know Sherry Menor-McNamara, the youngest and first female President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi. After working in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, Menor-McNamara returned to Hawaiʻi and earned post-graduate degrees in law and business. Her interests in public service and business converge in her current role at the local Chamber, which has won national recognition under her leadership.

The on-going public health crisis that is COVID-19, a struggling economy and a dire budget outlook that could lead to furloughs and/or layoffs is just a few of the topics that state legislature will be faced in this legislative season.

In 2015, when the University of Hawai‘i named Eran Ganot as the new head coach for the men’s basketball team, many onlookers were surprised. Find out why.

When she was 7 years old, Kim-Anh Nguyen and her family were uprooted from their home country of Vietnam after the war. Nguyen assimilated quickly in America, and she forged a path for herself in science as a researcher. She now heads the Blood Bank of Hawaii, which allows her to do what she says she loves best – connect with people.

Kohala native Manaola Yap grew up processing dyes from native roots and plants, while helping his mother, kumu hula Nani Lim Yap, create elaborate hula costumes for performances. These early experiences now inform his brand of Hawaiian luxury clothing, Manaola Hawai‘i, which made its New York Fashion Week debut in September 2017.

It's hard to think of a choir or chorus without thinking of Nola Nahulu - one of Hawaiʻi's premiere conductors and music teachers. Nola got hooked on music while taking piano and ballet growing up as a child in Mākaha, and she parlayed that passion into a career that has spanned more than three decades. She has taught and conducted some of the islands' legendary and beloved choral groups - including the Kawaiahaʻo Church Choir, the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus and the Honolulu Symphony Chorus.

Opera and cockfighting are some of the diverse subjects that Kauai-based documentary filmmaker Stephanie Castillo has covered throughout her career. Castillo released her first film, Simple Courage, in 1992, which drew parallels between Hansen’s Disease and the major health crisis at the time of the film’s release, the AIDS epidemic.

Named for the island where he was born, Lanai Tabura is well-known for his talents as a DJ, comedian, television host, actor and entrepreneur. Now he dedicates himself to one of his earliest passions – cooking – to share aloha across the globe through food.

INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI is on hiatus for the holiday season and returns on Thursday, January 14 at 8:00 pm.

From job losses to businesses closing, Insights on PBS Hawaiʻi looks at the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hawaiʻi’s economy.