2020 Women of Distinction
(Sponsored) It is HONOLULU Magazine’s pleasure to introduce this special section spotlighting outstanding local women—leaders, humanitarians and all-around fearless females—who have made their mark as a force in this community.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Jessica Muñoz
President & Founder, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua
P.O. Box 22551 | Honolulu, HI 96823
hoolanapua.org | jessicarmunoz.com
Jessica Muñoz has a passion for shining the light in dark places. Since 2009, she and her team have been a driving force behind the anti-trafficking movement across the Pacific. A clinical emergency room nurse practitioner by trade, her diverse background in pediatric trauma sparked the founding of Ho‘ōla Nā Pua (incorporated in 2013), a nonprofit committed to the prevention of sex trafficking and care of youth who have been exploited.
What is your life purpose?
To have hands that heal, bring forth words that give life, drive sustainable community transformation and change, and live a life that inspires others towards greatness and finding their own purpose.
How do you define success?
Persevering through the ebb and flow of the successes, failures, and challenges when you a living to your true purpose.
What are you most proud of, both in life and in your career?
Becoming a board-certified nurse practitioner and being able to use my experience and skillset as a clinician within the traditional medical setting, as well as in community advocacy work. Founding and leading a courageous and thriving social service organization focused on bringing healing to children who have been exploited, while inspiring a movement of community advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable. Being called to “shine the light” into the corrupt darkness of child sex-trafficking and watching as lives of our youth emerge as redeemed, restored and renewed.
The nursing profession has a long history of bringing transformative and innovative change in the area of health, addressing trauma and some of the most complex psychosocial issues of humanity. I am proud to be one of the many in the lineage of this great profession who are providing comprehensive, life-changing care and leading innovative change.
What is the best part of your job?
Walking alongside someone in their journey of healing and being able to plant seeds of hope, a purpose for living and a bright future. I’m honored to work with such diverse public and private sectors as we collectively seek to end the global sex trafficking pandemic, permanently.
What advice would you give to aspiring young women?
There are so many areas of need in our world. Be mindful of how you use your energy, time and unique skillset. They were entrusted to you for a reason. Take the time to listen and learn from those around you. Use your talents to uplift those in need. Walk in your purpose—you were placed on this earth for such a time as this. You are designed to be uniquely you in order to fulfill your life calling. Love the journey even when its hard—learning is a life-long process and often times messy! Live a life of integrity and truth, and seek justice for those who are oppressed. Let your love for life and for others blaze in the night like a thousand stars.
Who is your Woman of Distinction?
Mother Theresa is someone I have always had deep respect and admiration for. She sacrificed all that she had for the betterment of the most vulnerable. She never gave up, despite relentless adversity and hardship. She forever transformed the country of India. Her selfless love and sacrifice transformed and saved lives, and her legacy continues today.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Suzie Schulberg
President & CEO, Arcadia Family of Companies
1434 Punahou Street | Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 533-5416 | Arcadia.org
Suzie Schulberg oversees all operations and strategic planning at the Arcadia Family of Companies, a senior care organization that serves 900-plus kupuna through its senior living communities, home health and adult day care programs. She leads a team of 570 employees with its mission, vision and core values to protect and serve the lives of Hawaii’s kupuna. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Suzie has embraced her leadership role as a community advocate, championing the health and safety of our kupuna and those who serve them.
What is your life purpose?
My purpose in life is to be of service to others and a loving and present wife, mother, daughter and sister.
How do you define success?
To quote Michelle Obama, “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
What is your personal mantra?
To be the person whom others choose to join in bringing people together to impact positive change in our community, country and world.
What are you most proud of, both in life and in your career?
In life, I am most proud of being a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. In my career, I am most proud of working alongside the employees of the Arcadia Family of Companies to positively impact the lives of our kupuna.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is seeing our teams support each other, collaborate and work together to bring smiles, love and continued purpose to our residents, clients and members.
What advice would you give to aspiring young women?
Don’t settle for anything less than giving your best each day.
Who is your Woman of Distinction?
Betty White, Former Head of School of Sacred Hearts Academy. Yes, she is my mother after whom I have aspired to emulate my entire life. But she is also a simple country girl from southwest Virginia who never forgot her humble beginnings and inspired thousands of young woman in Hawaii, over a career of 50 years, to never stop reaching for the stars and achieving their dreams.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Celia Dominguez, M.D.
Co-Director, Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute
Kapi‘olani Medical Center, Suite 980, 1319 Punahou Street | Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 946-2226 | pacificinvitro.com
Dr. Celia Dominguez joined Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute in 2008 as its first female reproductive endocrinology and reproductive physician. Believing that one key does not fit all the bases of treatment plans, she uses a whole-body approach—marrying scientific knowledge with complementary and alternative medicines—that considers the biology, psychology, sociology and circumstances of her patients. The result: an individualized, finely tuned treatment plan catered to helping you build your family.
What is your life purpose?
I am an integrator, one who can view life through the full 360 degrees. My gift is in having the capacity to integrate ideas and experiences and apply them to new situations, developing multiple perspectives to help synthesize and appreciate knowledge beyond my own discipline. This serves me well in a team-based approach as a communicator, caring leader and teacher.
With respect to my profession, I use my scientific knowledge base and marry it with my interest in complementary and alternative medicine. Western medicine was born only a few hundred years ago, when the body was dismantled in an anatomy amphitheater and examined as parts, leading to the concept of specific and unique body systems. From this emerged the concept of specialties—for example, a heart doctor, a kidney doctor, a spine doctor and a fertility doctor, for that matter—all of which generally function separately.
On the other hand, Eastern medical philosophy stems from thousands of years of an integrated approach to healing of the human body, mind and soul, respectfully being treated as one. The integration of the individual body systems into one is what I feel is oftentimes missing from our western specialist mentality. The capacity to give respect to each person’s full uniqueness and needs is what I feel is my purpose in life. This has led me to a biopsychosocial approach.
What is your professional motto?
My professional motto is “helping to build your family” through an integrated approach of the biology, psychology and sociology of a given person or couple’s circumstances, minimizing algorithms and maximizing individualization and uniqueness. “One key does not fit all” is the basis of my treatment plans.
What is your personal mantra?
My personal mantra is “live to live and love to love,” always striving to grow even be it slowly. From a young age I have enjoyed studying philosophy and have embraced Plato’s concepts that “all is flux, nothing stays still.” His binary philosophy of growth and decay has become central to my life mission statement. It is simply and wisely stated by the Chinese proverb: “Be not afraid of growing slow, be afraid only of standing still.” In modern times, this is best represented by a quote from Alan Arkin: “Either you’re growing or you’re decaying; there’s no middle ground. If you’re standing still, you’re decaying.”
How do you define success?
Recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses. One’s greatest strengths usually are the source of one’s greatest weaknesses; using one’s strengths as wisely as possible becomes the key to succeeding. The overuse or inappropriate use then conversely leads to not succeeding. As a personal example: I am an integrator and excellent communicator with a gregarious personality, which, when used appropriately, makes me an excellent speaker, teacher and leader. But too much can make me a rambler with loss of focus and, subsequently, viewed as a poor teacher with difficulty in concisely communicating the message.
