Equality Hawaii Executive Committee

  • Paul Gracie, Co-Chair:
    Paul is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a PhD in linguistics. He has lived in Hawaii for 31 years and has been married since 1979 to Keo Sananikone. They are the proud parents of 7-year-old twns. Paul has served as co-chair of Family Equality Coalition (now Equality Hawaii) since 2007.

  • Tambry Young, Co-Chair:
    Tambry is a graduate of Farrington High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in Speech from the University of Hawaii. She owns a commercial and residential cleaning business, Tidy Up Gang, and is a licensed insurance agent. Tambry has been canoe paddling in Hawaii for more than 18 years and is currently serving her fifth year as president of Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a, a member association on Oahu of 18 clubs and nearly 1,700 members. She has also been the head paddling coach for Maryknoll Hig School for more than eight years. Tambry was born and raised in Hawaii and resides in Kalihi with her partner of 28 years, Suzanne, and their 9-year-old daughter, Shylar. She is proud of her mixed ethnicity: Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, German and Mexican. This is Tambry's first year serving on the board.

  • Donald L. Bentz, Treasurer:
    Don has been involved - professionally and as a volunteer - with organizations dedicated to equality for 17 years. While treasurer for the Human Rights Task Force (Tampa, FL), he experienced two ballot initiatives before moving on to become the president of Pride Tampa Bay, which grew from an afternoon trade show to a diverse, week-long celebration that was the largest in Florida and the second largest in the Southeast. Don served as the media chair for the start of the Hillsborough County GLBTA Democratic Caucus. Professionally, Don has served in public relations/development positions with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Tampa AIDS Network and The Florida Aquarium before becoming a consultant with various non-profit groups throughout Florida. He was the Tampa Bay Business Guild's 1998 Citizen of the Year, a presenter of sponsorship strategies at the 1997 National AIDS Fundraising Conference and was one of the first openly gay members of Leadership St. Petersburg (Class of 2001). Don is now the director of development at Life Foundation.

  • Ken Plonsky, Secretary:
    • Ken has spent most of his career in customer service, including his time as senior program analyst on a variety of federal government computer systems. Ken was a real estate agent and is currently working for the State of Hawaii and the City & County of Honolulu at The Blaisdell Center. He was house manager for the Washington Gay Men's Chorus and has volunteered as an usher for several theaters. Ken has worked with various religious groups and was co-chair of the Ohana MCC Study Group. It was this involvement in Ohana MCC that inspired him to become active in Family Equality Coalition (now Equality Hawaii), where he has been on the board since 2007.

  • Alan Spector, At-Large:
    Alan has been active in the marriage movement since 1999. He was legally married to his husband in Ontario, Canada. Before moving to Hawaii, Alan served as a district organizer and board member for Love Makes A Family, a state-wide non-profit advocacy organization working for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Connecticut. He was also active in organizing GLBT cultural events and marriage equality community education programs in norther New York. Alan has a Master of Social Work with emphases in both clinical social work and community organizing. He also has a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies. Alan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is employed with the Hawaii Department of Health - Adult Mental Health Division. Also served as co-chair of Family Equality Coalition from 2007 to 2009. He still serves on Equality Hawaii's Executive Committee.
Board Of Directors
  • Monoiki "Mono" Ah Nee
    Equality Hawaii's newest board member, Mono has been active in Honolulu's GLBT and Native Hawaiian communities since 1998. Mono lives with his partner, Wade Bahn, in Kaliki and is currently an HIV prevention education at Life Foundation.

  • Joshua Frost
    A 17-year resident of Honolulu, Josh works as the office coordinator for the Democratic Party of Hawaii. A party activist for more than three years, Josh currently serves as chair of his district. He joined Family Equality Coalition shortly after its inception and joined the interim board shortly thereafter. Josh co-chairs the Steering Committee for the Progressive Democrats of Hawaii. He is a card-carrying member of the ACLU and is a strong believer and supporter of equal rights for all people, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

  • Suzanne King
    • A Punahou School graduate, Suzanne earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii. She is the area office manager for Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, King Street office. Previously, she worked for 14 years as an executive for the Honolulu Board of Realtors, a non-profit trade association. Suzanne has volunteered for more than 15 years with canoe paddling and is the treasurer of Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a Canoe Association on Oahu and is first vice president for the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association. Suzanne was born and raised in Hawaii and resides in Kalihi with her partner of 28 years, Tambry, and their nine-year-old daughter, Shylar. Shlyar attends Honolulu Waldorf School in Niu Valley and enjoys canoe paddling and fencing. Suzanne is of Hawaiian and Caucasian descent.

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