A Hui Hou Kirsten!

Please join the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi as we bid a fond farewell—and a joyful celebration—to the backbone of our organization, the mama bear of our team, the communications guru, and our beloved second in command: the one and only Kirsten Kagimoto.

Over the past ten years, Kirsten has gone from Communications Director to Deputy Director, and in every role, she has been a through and through powerhouse. Her talent and passion haven’t just shaped our work—they’ve transformed it. She made sure we looked good, sounded smart, and never forgot that the beauty of this movement lives in the relationships we build along the way.

Kirsten has been the creative brainchild behind every campaign we’ve run to protect our islands and save our planet. But her impact goes far beyond strategy. She has touched the lives of every single staff member and volunteer she’s worked with. Truly, we will not be the same without her daily presence.

Kirsten was our longest running staff member, and typically the person many of us would go to for guidance over the years. She never let us sprint when we needed to run a marathon. With compassion and humor—often at just the right moment—she was a source of calm in the  storm, keeping us going and helping us navigate the most turbulent seas.

If you’ve ever participated in our virtual tree planting program, engaged with our social media, a grant proposal, received a letter in the mail, or opened one of our emails, you have encountered Kirsten’s magic. We hope to continue her legacy of crafting meaningful and clear messaging to grow our impact. 

Now, she’s taking a much-deserved break to fully dedicate herself to her daughters and ʻohana. And so we bid her farewell with truly loving and joyful celebration—for the way she has mothered us over the years, been a steady hand in the most tumultuous of times, and made us braver, kinder, and better at what we do. We have no doubt that Kirsten will continue to help create a more resilient and hopeful future for our islands by stewarding our next generation of environmental leaders. 

Mahalo nui loa, Kirsten, for the ten years you’ve given to this work. Thank you for inspiring us to ask the hard questions, think outside the box, and triple-check our edits before pushing send. You’ve left a legacy of compassion, humor, and heart—and we’ll carry it with us for the long haul.

Aloha nui and a hui hou.

— The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi staff