Maui Economic Opportunity is seeking to retain Lana‘i representation on the Board of Directors and is soliciting a community organization to take a seat on the policy-making entity of the 59-year-old Community Action Agency.
The current seat is held by the Lana‘i Kupuna Council, which is relinquishing its Resident Sector seat on the MEO board. The 21-member tripartite board consists of representatives of the Resident, Government and Business sectors.
Interested organizations must be representative of the community and formally organized with bylaws and officers. The organization would elect an individual to represent them on the board.
The board member selected may attend most meetings by Zoom, though there may be as many as two in-person meetings on Maui with MEO covering transportation costs. Terms are for three years with the option of serving two additional three-year terms.
The board’s role is to offer strategic leadership in defining and overseeing the implementation of MEO’s mission, vision and core values. With ultimate responsibility for the affairs of MEO, the board adopts policies to ensure stewardship and management of the agency.
One of the key roles of the board is to support the Chief Executive Officer, who runs MEO. Members offer their views and expertise on agency matters and serve as a liaison between the community and MEO. Members would be assigned to as many as two committees.
MEO has a Lana‘i office at 1144 Ilima Ave., #102, Lana‘i City, that offers transportation for residents and most MEO Community Services programs, including rental and utility assistance.
The nonprofit MEO is a Community Action Agency, formed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in the 1960s. MEO has grown to nearly 40 programs with paratransit/Human Services transportation and Head Start preschool being the largest.
To support those impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires, MEO has been operating programs that offer rental/mortgage, utility, vehicle, clothing, school supply and business bridge grant assistance and temporary jobs in wildfire recovery that pay as much as $27 an hour.
Groups interested in joining the MEO Board should contact CEO Debbie Cabebe at (808) 243-4300 or [email protected]. For more information about MEO programs, call (808) 249-2990 or go to the website www.meoinc.org.
Maui Economic Opportunity Board Members (clockwise from left) Glenn Yamasaki, Ned Davis, Gemma Medina and Gabe Johnson and MEO Assistant Fiscal Officer Wil Torricer attended the board installation event on July 7, 2023, at MEO in Wailuku. MEO is looking for a Lana‘i organization to take a seat on the Board of Directors.
