HONOLULU (Jan. 12, 2016) — Teach For America – Hawai‘i announced Tuesday that it has welcomed Candy Suiso to its regional advisory board.
As executive director for Wai‘anae High School–Searider Productions, Suiso oversees one of the most innovative digital media programs in the nation. Currently, she is focused on increasing the number of commercial and professional projects in which students participate. She also oversees fundraising initiatives, and has successfully spearheaded efforts securing state, federal, and private grants.
Suiso grew up in Makaha, graduated from Wai‘anae High School, received her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and then a teaching certificate from Chaminade University of Honolulu. In 1999, she received a prestigious National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. She began her teaching career as a Spanish teacher at Wai‘anae High before starting Searider Productions in 1993. She and her husband Mark are owners of Makaha Mangoes, home to over a dozen different varieties of mangoes.
“Teach For America–Hawai‘i is thrilled to welcome Candy to our regional advisory board,” said Jill Baldemor, executive director, Teach For America–Hawai‘i. “Candy has had an impressive career as a distinguished educator, innovative businesswoman, and respected community member on the Leeward Coast of O‘ahu. She has helped foster the leadership of students in Wai‘anae by empowering them to develop their academic, professional, and personal skills through innovative media projects and opportunities. Teach For America–Hawai‘i supports many teachers on the Leeward Coast, and we’re looking forward to the guidance of such a respected leader.”
“Candy Suiso is an outstanding addition to our regional advisory board,” said H. Mitchell D’Olier, Teach For America–Hawai‘i Regional Advisory Board chair. “As Teach For America–Hawai‘i has continued to grow and adapt over the last 10 years, our board has brought together diverse community voices to provide guidance and feedback. I am confident that Candy will bring valuable perspectives and experiences as Teach For America works with communities to end educational inequity.”
“I’m excited and looking forward to working with this great organization,” Suiso said. “I’ve seen first-hand the impact Teach For America has made along the Wai‘anae Coast.”
Teach For America-Hawai‘i Regional Advisory Board
H. Mitchell D’Olier — Chairman, Harold K. L. Castle Foundation
Jeff Arce — Partner and CFO, The MacNaughton Group
Trever Asam — Partner, Cades Schutte LLP
Christine Bean — Program Manager, Roberts Foundation
Sharon Shiroma Brown — Senior Vice President, First Hawaiian Bank; President, First Hawaiian Bank Foundation
Benjamin Godsey — President and CEO, ProService Hawai‘i
Jill Shimokawa Higa — Senior Executive Vice President & Division Manager of Branch & Community Banking, Bank of Hawai‘i
Paul Kosasa — President and CEO, ABC Stores
Ritchie Mudd — Founder & Former CEO, RSI Roofing and Building
Sissie Pittullo — Child advocate, Attorney, and Educator
Candy Suiso — Executive Director, Searider Productions
Teach For America–Hawai‘i works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 2006 on O‘ahu and 2009 on Hawai‘i Island, Teach For America–Hawai‘i recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding college graduates and professionals to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Our broader mission is to enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation’s most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence. As Teach For America–Hawai‘i nears its 10th anniversary, the organization has had a profound impact in the islands by recruiting and developing more than 700 teachers over the last decade, many of whom are working across career sectors—including education, law, business, medicine, and government—to improve the opportunities of young people and fight for educational equity.
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding college graduates and professionals to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, 8,600 corps members are teaching in 52 urban and rural regions across the country while more than 42,000 alumni work across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visitwww.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
