Women of Distinction | Girl Scouts of Hawaii

Nālani Fujimori Kaina

As general counsel and vice president for Kamehameha Schools, Kaina leads the institution’s Legal Services Group, which includes  Human Resources, Education and Administration, Real Estate, Tax, Ethics and Compliance and the Office of the VP of Legal. She has a long history of serving the legal needs of Hawaiʻi families and the Native Hawaiian community, previously serving as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi for over a decade. Kaina is also a director with the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, a former chair of the Hawaiʻi State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and a past president and director of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation. A Kamehameha School Kapālama alumna, she earned her juris doctorate from the New York University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College.

 

Michele Saito

With more than 35 years of experience in Hawaiʻi’s insurance industry, Saito has held top leadership roles and guided major organizational changes. She rose through the ranks at Farmers Insurance Hawaii, formerly AIG Hawaii, before becoming president in 2010. She later served as president of DTRIC Insurance, where she led the company’s return to profitability after its largest financial loss in 2013. During her tenure, her team launched new products and strongly advocated for initiatives that positioned DTRIC to compete competitively in the digital era. While she has stepped away from day-to-day corporate life, Saito continues to provide strategic counsel to business and community organizations. She currently serves on Catholic Charities Hawaii’s advisory board, is a trustee at ʻIolani School and represents the Hawaii Business Roundtable on an Affordable Housing Committee. Her past board service includes Alexander and Baldwin, Hawaii Medical Services Association, Child and Family Service, Aloha United Way, and Hawaii Pacific University. A lifelong supporter of Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Saito has been a volunteer troop leader, cookie mom, service unit treasurer, board member, donor and interim CEO.

Kaʻiulani Sodaro

As the senior vice president of planning and development at The Howard Hughes Corporation, Sodaro leads strategic forward planning efforts, regulatory coordination, infrastructure development, community engagement and government relations for Ward Village. With more than two decades of experience in real estate development, she has helped guide complex projects across Hawaiʻi. A graduate of Punahou School, Sodaro holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Master of Planning from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and currently serves on the boards of Hawai’i Contemporary Board and Chairs the Trust for Public Land Hawai‘i Advisory Board. She is a former board member of Child & Family Service and PBS Hawaiʻi, and was previously appointed to the City & County of Honolulu Planning Commission.