Meet Our Board of Directors

Brian Tilker is a Partner with the law firm of Cox Fricke LLP | A Limited Liability Law Partnership LLP. He specializes in business and employment litigation. He is originally from New York where he practiced law for seven years before moving to Honolulu in 2011. Prior to joining the GDH Board and in addition to his private practice, Brian was a Lecturer of Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law teaching a legal writing and advocacy course to first-year law students.

Born in Hilo Hawaii, Victoria moved to Oahu in her teens and graduated from Kaimuki High School. She recently retired after 45 years with Safeway Stores, where she was a clerk in the District Office then transferred out to retail stores as a Front End Manager. One of her rewarding experiences was being a mentor in Safeway’s New Hire Training and Superior Customer Service Program. She was also employed by Guide Dogs of Hawaii as the Executive Secretary for over 20 years and has since been a volunteer member of the Board of Directors holding the position of Treasurer.

A dog lover, Trudy joined GDH in 2002 as a dog walker. Her first walking mate, Guide Dog Argy, convinced her that guide dogs are not only great workers. They are great pals. She brought her administrative skills and non-profit experience to GDH, participating in various event plannings and for several years now, she continues to serve as the Secretary on our Board of Directors. In addition to working as “a contract coordinator" with MDX Hawaii for over 8 years, she furthered her education at UH West Oahu in Humanities, language and literature.

Ken is an independent representative with LPL Financial. He is a Qualifying & Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table and Court of the Table. He specializes in 401k plans, executive benefits, and life insurance planning in both the personal and business markets.  In addition to serving as President of GDH, Ken actively volunteers with Hawaii Literacy, the Honolulu Rotary Club, and the Hawaii Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Ron Nagasawa is the Director of Content/Supplemental Products for Oahu Publications, Inc. He also oversees MidWeek, Kauai Midweek and Hawai'i Island Midweek. That includes five weekly community newspapers, The Voice, in their respective areas. He is charged with the special section division of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which includes the Sunday restaurant guide, Dining Out, the home remodeling guide, Hawaii Renovation, and the Wednesday Star-Advertiser food section, Crave. Ron writes a humor column for MidWeek, called What’s Next. He has been in the local newspaper publishing business for 37 years. Has served on the boards of the Honolulu Police Community Foundation, American Cancer Society Hawaii, and KAMP Hawaii.

Susan Nonaka is Vice President of General Services at Hawaii Pacific Health, responsible for Food & Nutrition Services, Environmental Services, Facilities Maintenance, Safety & Security, Biomedical Engineering, and Emergency Management. Ms. Nonaka has a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Nutritional Sciences and a Master of Public Health degree, both from the University of Hawai‘i. She is a Registered Dietitian, having completed her dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts; and her master’s field work in Seattle, Washington. She worked as a renal dietitian for St. Francis Renal Institute; Dietary Department Head at Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, Director of the Food & Nutrition Department and Executive Director of Support Services at Wilcox Memorial Hospital before joining Hawaii Pacific Health.

Michele Kurihara-Klein serves as the Legislative Officer for the Hawaii Government Employees Association where she executes the union’s legislative and political agendas on behalf of its 40,000 members via lobbying at the State Capitol and supporting endorsed candidates running for elected office. She is a proud member of the Pacific Century Fellows, Class of 2016 and serves on the Domestic Violence Action Center Board of Directors and the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i. Born and raised in Kaneohe, Michele now lives in Kaka’ako with her husband and daughter.

Guide Dogs of Hawaii has a special place in my heart ever since one of the Sacred Hearts Alumnae brought their guide dog to a mass. When a friend asked me to volunteer in organizing the GDH fundraiser that same week, I was excited. With my background in event planning and communications, I hope to be an asset to the team. I am currently the Student Activities Coordinator for Island Pacific Academy. I have been an English teacher for both independent and public schools for the past 15 years. I have a back ground in literature as well as business. When I’m not spending my free time with family, I’m visiting friends on the mainland and exploring new travel destinations.