The YWCA of Oahu has selected 10 women as outstanding Hawaii female leaders; they were honored in June:

Erlinda M. Cachola, M.D., Cachola Medical Clinic; Suzanne D. Case, executive director of Nature Conservancy of Hawaii; Anna Elento-Sneed, Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing; Signe A. Godfrey, president of Olsten Staffing Services; and Marsha Graham, chief of medical management at Tripler Army Medical Center; Janice Kalanihuia, president of Molokai General Hospital; Melody K. MacKenzie, assistant professor of law at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law; Diane J. Plotts, vice chairwoman of the board of trustees for Kamehameha Schools; Virginia M. Pressler, M.D., executive vice president of Hawaii Pacific Health; and Indru Watumull, community volunteer.

Six seniors from Pahoa High School are attending college with scholarships from Puna Geothermal Venture and Tropical Ponds Hawaii LLC, an exotic-fish farm located on the PGV site. Denarose Fukushima and Lei Kyna Ganiron each received $1,000 to attend the University of Hawaii-Hilo. Krissel Anne Alcon Lagua, Fuafetoimailelagi-FiaSalemeanai Valinda-Sue Wilson, Tiana-Marie Kahealani Araujo-Thornton and Rex Fiesta each received $500 to attend Hawaii Community College.

Ann Katekaru, senior consultant of Human Resources Management Services for Inkinen and Associates, has been elected to the Oceanic Institute board of trustees. Oceanic Institute is an affiliate of Hawaii Pacific University.

Katekaru has been with Inkinen and Associates since 1998 and provides executive search and human resources consulting services. From 1994 to 1998 she was senior vice president of client services at Bank of America-Hawaii.

The Honolulu Chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, the world’s oldest and largest food and wine organization, raised $9,500 to send six culinary arts students at Kapiolani Community College to Orlando, Fla., to compete in a national competition. "Team Hawaii" recently won the American Culinary Federation’s Western Regional Competition. Members were also inducted into the chapter.

The city Department of Community Services’ YouthBuild Honolulu program received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to serve 70 more disadvantaged students, ages 16 to 24, over a two-year period. Program activities include a high school diploma course; hands-on and vocational construction training; community service projects; job readiness training; and job and post-secondary education placement.

Gerald A. Sumida, a partner at Carlsmith Ball LLP and chairman of the firm’s business, corporate and finance sections, was elected to secretary-general of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, an international association of business and commercial lawyers.

Junior Achievement of Hawaii received $10,000 from The Atherton Family Foundation and $5,000 apiece from the Joan & William K.H. Mau Foundation, Servco Foundation and Ameriprise Financial Inc. JA provides education programs on business, economics and the free enterprise system to some 6,000 students yearly.