See a full list of the 2025 recipients. Stay tuned throughout the summer for additional profiles.
Title: Chief Operating Officer
School: Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii
Years at School: 4
Superpower: Financial Futurist. Lesley Kaneshiro has modernized Mid-Pacific’s financial management by streamlining processes, introducing financial forecasting, and approaching high-stakes decisions with clarity and confidence. Her efforts have equipped departments with clear, actionable budgets and replaced outdated paper records and institutional memory with modern policies and procedures. Thanks to her stewardship, the institution has ended every fiscal year since 2020-2021 with a surplus, reinvesting in much-needed deferred maintenance.
“Kaneshiro embodies the true spirit of an unsung hero, working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring clarity, trust and stability to the financial foundation of Mid-Pacific,” said her nominator, Shannon Cleary, vice president of institutional advancement. “She has brought a level of expertise and discipline that has reshaped the institution.”
Strategic Shield: Kaneshiro strengthened Mid-Pacific’s risk management by establishing a dedicated office to oversee liability mitigation and streamline vendor contract reviews. She also unified the facilities and security departments into a single, integrated service overseeing campus operations, project management, and long-term renewal efforts. Her strategic leadership and investment in upskilling the facilities team led to over $2 million in savings within three years, enabling major projects to be completed in-house rather than outsourced.
Partner to HR: Kaneshiro played a pivotal role in faculty union negotiations, securing salary increases while carefully balancing rising fixed costs. She also collaborated with the vice president of human resources to personalize the school’s 403(b) retirement plan —enhancing employee benefits and reducing overall fees.
From Family to Financial Vision: Before becoming COO, Kaneshiro was a dedicated Mid-Pacific parent since 2010 and a respected trustee. Her transition from board member and school parent to COO brought a deep institutional understanding and a fresh, strategic lens, according to Cleary. “While new to the nonprofit sector, Kaneshiro has been a consummate learner, embracing challenges with humility and determination,” Cleary.
