Mānoa Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman has named Shawn Nakamoto as senior director of the Office of Communications and Marketing at UH Mānoa. She will coordinate and manage the internal and external communications and marketing/advertising needs of the and campus.
Nakamoto fills the position vacated in 2012 by Gregg Takayama, who left the Chancellor’s Office to run for and successfully be elected a representative in the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Legislature.
Nakamoto, a UH Mānoa alumna with a BA in , previously served as spokeswoman and information officer at the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. Said Chancellor Bley-Vroman, “With her more than 25 years of professional experience and her nationally recognized APR credential (Accredited in Public Relations), Shawn has the knowledge, skills and abilities required to serve in this key position.“
Before working at the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Nakamoto was employed at Â鶹´«Ã½ Pacific Health, Kamehameha Schools, St. Francis Healthcare System of Â鶹´«Ã½ and the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System, where she was director of Special Events and Public Relations from 2000 to 2002. She specializes in developing and executing public relations campaigns that support organizational strategic goals.
She is actively involved with the Public Relations Society of America, Â鶹´«Ã½ Chapter, and was awarded the Gregg W. Perry Public Relations Professional of the Year Award in 2005.
Nakamoto is also involved in her community, serving on numerous nonprofit boards including Catholic Charities Â鶹´«Ã½, PATCH (People Attentive to Children) and ProjectFocus Â鶹´«Ã½, a photography internship for at-risk children in the state.
She and her husband, Barry, reside in East Honolulu.