The Obama Foundation is launching an Asia-Pacific leadership program and will host a series of workshops for 22 emerging leaders, including two from Hawaii, at the East-West Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa this week. Former President Barack Obama will conclude the program by delivering remarks on Sunday during a private event.
The workshops follow a pledge by Obama in 2015 to ensure Hawaii plays a role in his work post-presidency after Honolulu lost out to Chicago when it sought to host Obama’s presidential library and center.
The University of Hawaii was one of three finalists for Obama’s presidential library, which ultimately went to the University of Chicago.
UH President David Lassner recounted that when Obama called him to deliver the disappointing news, he stressed that the work of the foundation would be global and that he planned to use Hawaii as his base for Asia-Pacific activities.
“So from my perspective this is great,” Lassner said. “This is all of that starting to become real with our first, official Hawaii- based event that he is doing here as part of the legacy that he hopes to establish with his foundation — reaching out, developing young leaders globally and, in particular, the Asia-Pacific region.”
Foundation officials stressed that Obama also wanted to launch the program in Hawaii because of his personal connection to the islands. Obama was born and raised on Oahu. His sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, is director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawaii and sits on the board of the Obama Foundation.
“His overarching reason for wanting to do this program here is really emphasizing Hawaii is like a home to him. He has roots here. He has ties here. He thinks it’s a wonderful place” said Bernadette Meehan, chief international officer for the Obama Foundation. “He thinks the community has a lot to offer, especially as the foundation was thinking about Asia-Pacific programming.”
The Obama Foundation has focused its work on supporting and encouraging leaders globally, launching a leadership program in Africa last year that brought together 200 leaders from around the continent for an ongoing training initiative.
This week’s conference at the East-West Center will focus on developing a similar program for the Asia-Pacific region. The 22 leaders chosen to spearhead this effort include Marvin Kaleo Manuel and Leanne Kealoha Fox from Hawaii. In total, those chosen come from 16 countries and territories.
Manuel is a planning manager at the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, while Fox works as an executive manager at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
The 22 leaders were chosen out of more than 100 candidates who were referred to the foundation, said Meehan.
The workshops will include leadership training sessions, as well as a meeting with Obama to discuss ideas for the program, which is expected to include many more young leaders from the region as it develops.
The foundation trains young people on developing leadership skills, as well as how to raise money and work with the media, and serves as a resource for connecting leaders from various sectors to work on a wide range of societal issues. The stature of Obama also can quickly elevate the work of local leaders, helping open doors to people in power or grants.
“So when the president, for example, tweets and lifts up the story of something that someone is doing to change their community in a positive way in Myanmar, or the Marshall Islands or in Hawaii, that brings a focus and attention on the work and the individual that they would unlikely be able to get from almost anyone else on the planet,” said Meehan.
The Obama Foundation Leaders program is one of several programs launched by the foundation to support young leaders. It lacks any defined political agenda, bringing together people from various sectors who are seeking to effect positive change in their communities.
“The president and Mrs. Obama really feel like one of the greatest things they can do as private citizens is taking the focus off of themselves and what they did during the administration and really using their spotlight to highlight the next generation of leaders coming up behind them,” Meehan said.
