Honoring the life and legacy of Wayne Minami: A champion for stronger families

As friends, family, and community members recently gathered to celebrate the life of Wayne Minami, Child & Family Service joins American Savings Bank in honoring a man whose generosity, leadership, and quiet commitment to service strengthened countless families across Hawaiʻi.

Minami was highly respected throughout his career, including his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer of American Savings Bank. Prior to joining the bank, he served in state government in several senior roles. In the late 1960s, he worked at the Legislative Reference Bureau, followed by service as a deputy attorney general in the 1970s. He later led the Department of Regulatory Agencies, now known as the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, where he also served as the state’s fire marshal, insurance commissioner, and bank examiner.

It was through his work as a bank examiner that Minami was later recruited to help guide American Savings Bank during a period of leadership transition. In 1978, he was appointed State Attorney General by George Ariyoshi.

Known for his integrity and people-centered leadership, Wayne Minami built strong and lasting relationships with employees at every level of the organizations he served, earning deep respect across both public service and the private sector. One of the most personal expressions of his leadership became a legendary tradition within American Savings Bank. On employee milestone work anniversaries, Minami hosted pancake breakfasts in his office, cooking from his wife Colleen Minami’s ricotta pancake recipe and serving Portuguese sausage. What began in the 1980s as a simple gesture evolved into a beloved symbol of Minami’s leadership style, grounded in humility, connection, and genuine care for others.

Minami’s belief that institutions should invest in people extended well beyond the workplace. Through his relationship with Child & Family Service, Minami and his wife Colleen played a central role in the creation of the Stronger Families Fund, a cornerstone of private philanthropy that has helped sustain CFS’s work for more than a decade.

“Wayne will always be remembered with deep appreciation for the legacy he and Colleen created through their commitment to the CFS Stronger Families Fund,” said Amanda Pump, President and CEO of Child & Family Service. “Their generous endowed gift, the Wayne & Colleen Minami Family Endowment Fund for CFS, reflects their care for families and will ensure that our domestic violence prevention, healing programs, and shelters continue to provide safety and support for generations to come.”

As a community-based human service organization, CFS operates without the built-in donor base that many large institutions rely on. Private philanthropic support is essential to ensuring families facing trauma, poverty, and crisis can continue to access care. To meet that need, the Stronger Families Fund was launched to provide CFS with a reliable, private, and flexible source of funding to respond to urgent needs, innovate programs, and remain resilient during periods of uncertainty 

While the vision for the Stronger Families Fund was inspired by steadfast anonymous donors, it was Wayne and Colleen Minami who became co-founders of the Fund in 2014 through their lead pledge of $100,000. Their generosity launched the campaign and inspired additional couples to match their giving, creating a collective model of philanthropy rooted in shared responsibility and long-term commitment.

By December 2015, $1 million in pledges had been secured from 44 individuals, including the entire CFS Board of Directors, answering the Minamis’ call to invest together in Hawaiʻi’s families. Since its creation, the Stronger Families Fund has grown to raise more than $15 million through the steadfast support of nearly 2,000 donors, helping sustain the organization and enhance some of its nearly 50 programs that serve impacts more than 117,000 individuals annually across the state.

The Fund was created in recognition of the reality that many families served by CFS, particularly those experiencing domestic violence and trauma, do not have the means to give back financially. Donors like Wayne and Colleen help fill that gap, ensuring that life-changing services remain available when families need them most, including during periods of government funding uncertainty.

As the community gathers to celebrate Minami’s life, CFS and American Savings Bank extend their heartfelt gratitude to the Minami ʻohana for sharing Wayne with Hawaiʻi. His spirit lives on in every family strengthened, every child supported, and every life touched through the work he so deeply believed in.

“Mahalo to American Savings Bank for honoring Wayne’s memory and lifelong commitment to CFS with this generous $100,000 gift,” said Pump. “Their support of the Wayne & Colleen Minami Family Endowment Fund will strengthen domestic violence prevention programs and shelters across our state, ensuring families continue to find safety, healing, and hope.”

For more information about the Stronger Families Fund or to learn more about Child & Family Service, visit www.childandfamilyservice.org.