Winners announced for Maui County 2025 Women of Excellence Awards

During a recent ceremony, Maui County Committee on the Status of Women announced recipients of the 2025 Women of Excellence Awards – a biennial celebration recognizing wāhine whose leadership and service uplift Maui Nui.

The 2025 Women of Excellence Awards honorees are:

• Honorary Historical Awards (Posthumous): Natalie “Tasha” Kama, Suzanne O
• Woman of Promise (ages 14–21): Keolaonākai‘elua Mather
• Women of Excellence (ages 22–59): Charlene Arnold, Charlene Naomi Crozier, Ki‘inaniokalani Kaho‘ohanohano, Wailani Tanaka
• Unsung Heroes (ages 60 and older): Angie Haramoto, Minoʻaka Kapuaahiwalani-Fitzsimmons, Kadi Mourningstar

Mayor Richard Bissen, who nominated Maui County Council Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Natalie “Tasha” Kama, thanked the commission for recognizing the outstanding female leader, who passed away Oct. 26, 2025, after serving the community for decades.

“Mahalo to the Maui County Committee on the Status of Women for highlighting females who have made our islands a better place,” Mayor Bissen said. “Tasha Kama led with humility and strength, always guided by her belief in doing what was just and right for our community. Her wisdom, warmth and unwavering faith touched countless lives and will continue to guide us long after her passing.”

Mayor Bissen, Maui Police Department (MPD) Chief John Pelletier and the committee recognized the immeasurable sacrifice of MPD Officer Suzanne O, who was tragically killed in the line of duty in Paia on Aug. 15, 2025. Officer O was awarded with the committee’s Honorary Historical Award.

The committee offered a special recognition to Joy Medeiros, who made MPD history Oct. 10 when she became the first female to be promoted to assistant chief.  

“Tonight, we are here to honor a woman whose strength, courage and heart have changed Maui County in ways that will be felt for generations — our first female assistant chief of police,” MPD Chief Pelletier said during the ceremony. “She was promoted not because she’s a woman, but because she is the best for the position.”

This year’s theme, Ka Holomua Laulima! Nā Wāhine Hoʻoulu Hanauna (Moving Forward Together: Women Educating and Inspiring Generations), honors women whose leadership, mentorship and dedication create a lasting impact for future generations.

Maui County Committee on the Status of Women held the 2025 Women of Excellence Awards on Friday evening at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. The program included a brief Women in Leadership Panel featuring distinguished wāhine speaking on their leadership journeys and the importance of uplifting future generations. Nominations for the awards process opened in October.

For information on the committee, visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/178/Committee-on-the-Status-of-Women.