PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release March 10, 2020
827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Phone: 808-537-6333 Fax: 808-521-6286 HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Cat Howland Hawaii Community Foundation (808) 566-5569 (Office) (808) 260-5001 (Mobile) chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
SHEILA SARHANGI JOINS HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), the state’s leading philanthropic institution, announced today that Sheila Sarhangi has joined the organization as the vice president of strategic communications. “It’s an exciting time for HCF as momentum builds for the CHANGE framework,” Sarhangi said. “I look forward to contributing my passion for cross-sector collaboration and collective action with the purpose of creating a thriving Hawai‘i for everyone who calls our islands ‘home.’” Sarhangi officially began her role on Feb. 18, 2020. “Sheila’s extensive background as a communications strategist, organizer, storyteller, and trainer for organizations that are working for ‘the greater good’ made her a natural fit for the position,” said Micah Kāne, CEO and President for the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our team because she brings significant expertise on how to activate change through communications.” Prior to joining HCF, Sarhangi led Cause Consulting, a strategic communications firm that specializes in partnering with nonprofits, communities, government agencies, and foundations on social and environmental initiatives. In this role, she served as the Hawai‘i campaign director for the expansions of the Papahānaumokuākea and Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments in 2016 and 2014 respectively. Sarhangi has also served as a director for SeaWeb, an international communications organization dedicated to advancing ocean conservation. While at SeaWeb, she developed and executed dynamic behavior change campaigns to benefit ocean health and designed and led multiple capacity-building initiatives to increase the strategic communications skills of village leaders, scientists, non-profits, and government agencies in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Indonesia, and Hawai‘i.
Sarhangi has been a writer and columnist in Hawai‘i for more than 15 years. She has penned more than 400 cover stories, features and columns in regional and national publications, and earned numerous awards for her work, including her hardcover book, Honolulu Then & Now. Sarhangi has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. She currently serves on the board of Sierra Club of Hawai‘i and is the education and outreach representative for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Community Group. ### About Hawai‘i Community Foundation With over 100 years of community service, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) is the leading philanthropic institution in the state. HCF is a steward of more than 900 funds, including more than 280 scholarship funds, created by donors who desire to transform lives and improve communities. In 2018, HCF distributed more than $62 million in grants and contracts statewide, including more than $6.3 million in scholarships. HCF also serves as a resource on community issues and trends in the nonprofit sector.