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Kitty Yannone has been in the news, but more significantly, she’s been behind it.
The veteran public relations and communications consultant and her company, CommPac, have been the voice behind the voice of some of Hawaii’s most influential companies and organizations, shaping their marketing and media campaigns and how the public views them.
Yannone is CEO and owner of CommPac, formerly known as Communications Pacific, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. It has a broad range of clients: from big real-estate companies like Alexander & Baldwin to Mid-Pacific Institute. (CommPac also represents the Star-Advertiser and Oahu Publications.) She joined the firm more than 30 years ago, but learned her trade — “nearly all my professional skills” — by working to establish and then run Ronald McDonald House in Hawaii, a move spurred by her youngest son, who became critically ill with bacterial spinal meningitis when he was 11 months old.
“Most of all, I learned the power of many people coming together purely to do something good for their community,” she said. “And I’ve been addicted to that type of experience ever since.”
Yannone’s career — much of it under the name of Kitty Lagareta, until a long and difficult divorce several years ago — also thrust her into the public spotlight. A lifelong Democrat, she helped Republican Linda Lingle get elected governor in 2002 after getting “fed up with local politics in the mid-1990s” and doing her own research into the issues and candidates. Lingle later appointed her to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, and Yannone became embroiled in a messy effort to fire then-UH President Evan Dobelle, who was accused of mismanaging the university’s money.
Yannone, 65, grew up in California and moved to Hawaii in 1976, earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature at UH-Manoa. She also did some standup comedy under the tutelage of Rap Reiplinger, including monologues “generally not appropriate for a family newspaper,” she said.
These days Yannone has mellowed a bit.
“I have to say, I just love this time of life, I just love it,” she said. She spends time with her two sons and five grandsons, and works out six days a week: weights, cardio and Pilates.
She also is pursuing a dream she’s had since the third-grade: Writing a book.
“It’s kind of about the different cycles you go through in life,” she said. “Particularly for women as we get older.”
Question: How has the public relations business in Hawaii changed?
Answer: You really cannot get anything important or lasting done well in Hawaii without consulting and communicating with the stakeholders — those who are or will be directly or indirectly affected by your plans. This is probably true in most places, but far more so in a highly diverse, relatively small island community. We believe this is a good thing, a very good thing, but not all clients or potential clients understand it, especially if they have an unrealistic timeframe, or are used to going straight to the top to get things done, or are new to Hawaii.
Too often, there is still an effort to circumvent community engagement and stakeholder outreach with aggressive media campaigns and lobbying. Over the years, we have found that incorporating stakeholder/community input, advice and feedback early always results in a better outcome for our clients and the community. This approach is always worth the effort.
In the early days, it was primarily to sit in the room with a lot of executives and lawyers and … try to articulate something in a way that was favorable. The role we play (now) is larger, and it’s much more about guiding clients to be sometimes more transparent, more honest, more direct. We often are looking way down the road, saying, “OK, I know you don’t want to say this now, but you need to say it. You need to open up about that now.”
Q: How do you decide whether to accept a client for representation?
A: We always spend time with potential clients via phone or preferably in person to get a sense of who they are as people and how well we can work together. We do some research and often talk to the person who referred them. Next, we look at the work they are asking us to do and we determine whether we are comfortable with the issue or the assignment.
Q: What has been your most difficult professional challenge?
A: The Great Recession. … Between 2008 and 2011, we had 11 clients file bankruptcy or just shut down their LLCs and leave the state. When the dust settled, I had debt of over $2 million. I chose not to file bankruptcy … I didn’t want to walk away from financial obligations I had to loyal clients and vendors. … As difficult as that sounds and has been, I learned some wonderful things about the people in my life. I had clients who called and said, “Does it help you if we pay our fees for the year in advance?” and vendors who said, “Would you be willing to work off your debt in exchange for public relations services?” I had family, friends and employees who were tremendously supportive in ways I’d never imagined or expected. This year, I expect to be completely done with the last of my debt.
Q: What is your view of the current leadership at UH?
A: We are extremely fortunate to have President David Lassner. Jim Collins, the author of “Good to Great,” talks about the value of “Level 5” leaders, who are the great leaders who have a unique combination of will and humility. Level 5 leaders are ambitious, but their ambition is for the organization to excel rather than themselves. They share praise when things go well and take blame when things go wrong, and they usually come from within the organization.
After President Dobelle, we knew we had a “Level 5” leader ready to step up in President David McClain. I feel the same about President Lassner; he has one of the toughest jobs in our state with 10 campuses, tons of politics inside and out, and never enough funding for what is truly needed, and yet he has the experience to know exactly how to get big things done well. He’s a Level 5 leader. I don’t know all members of the current Board of Regents, but I continue to hear and see great stuff happening on all campuses and remain proud to be an alumna, so I have to credit the leadership at all levels.
Q: What advice would you give local candidates in this year’s election?
A: My advice to local candidates is that voters are smart, more cynical than ever, and too many are justifiably apathetic. Stand up and lead when necessary instead of deflecting or ignoring problems, and take time to really understand the issues and speak knowledgeably about ideas and solutions. If you make a mistake, admit it, discuss it, apologize and tell us how you will make things right. Tell the truth, and above all don’t put personal political gains above public service. Candidates should develop their first year’s action plan to be implemented if elected. … Your action plan should guide your words, not the other way around.
Q: How would you encourage voters to cast their ballots?
A: Government affects our daily lives in so many ways. Even if you don’t get involved in supporting a candidate or a particular issue, pay attention to the people asking for your vote — who are they, what do they stand for, where do they stand on issues important to you, what have they achieved, do you trust them? It amazes me how a few votes can change the course of a local election and (that’s) why every single vote counts.
Q: Would you represent President Donald Trump or his campaign locally?
A: No, I would not. There is no evidence that President Trump listens to any of his advisers, and why would anyone provide communications counsel to someone who prefers to tweet the first thing that comes to mind several times a day?
Q: How have changes in the news media affected your business?
A: When I started in public relations, reporters were generally assigned specific “beats” or news topics to cover such as education, crime, City Council, etc., and were excellent subject-matter experts.
Reporters today usually have to take their own photos and video, produce social media and blog posts for their news outlets and feed a highly competitive and insatiable demand for instant information and constant updates to significant stories. In this environment, there is less time to verify information with multiple sources and to add background context.
There is a much greater need for communicators and public relations professionals to research and document “context” for many of the issues and projects we work on if we want people to understand fully what our clients are communicating.
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