HONOLULU Magazine honored UH West O‘ahu Chancellor Maenette Benham as one of its inaugural inductees of the “Celebrating Wāhine” Awards.
The Sept. 10 awards reception honored a cross-section of business and community leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, health care workers, creatives, and others. Through reader-submitted nominations and selection by HONOLULU editors, “Celebrating Wāhine” Awards honored this collective of 39 impactful women.
UH Mānoa women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman was the other honoree from within UH. Many UH alumni were also honored in the inaugural class.
“E ola ka ‘āina, e ola ka na‘auao, e ola ke aloha. To be part of this inaugural cohort of Celebrating Wāhine honorees is both humbling and inspiring,” Benham said. “This is an extraordinary circle of women who are shaping Hawai‘i with brilliance, compassion, and courage. This recognition reminds me that leadership is always shared — rooted in aloha, guided by kuleana, and lived through service to community.
“This honor is not mine alone — it belongs to the communities I serve, the students I’ve learned from, and the mentors and colleagues who inspire me every day.”
In the publication, Benham noted that “The most important thing I do as chancellor is set the vision and the sail plan that fosters and strengthens a gracious space of learning — where everyone can dream, wonder, connect and strengthen their special gifts.” She spoke of listening to her kūpuna stories and observing the “grace and aloha in the way they lived their lives,” which in turn, taught her the value of being a lifelong learner who leads with intentionality, grace, and compassion.
HONOLULU Magazine solicited reader-submitted nominations, which called for women who embody aloha, kuleana, and laulima, and are “paving the way, inspiring others, or just doing great things for our community.”