YWCA Names Dolan and Roth as 2017 Remarkable People

Photo courtesy of YWCA of Hawaii Island.

The YWCA of Hawaiʻi Island has selected local physician Lynda Dolan, M.D. and Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth as its 2017 Remarkable People.

The two will be recognized for their community contributions during the ninth annual Remarkable Person Luncheon on Thursday, April 13, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel’s Moku Ola Ballroom.

“The YWCA is proud to recognize Lynda and Mitch for their exceptional achievements in the workplace and throughout the community,” said Kathleen McGilvray, CEO of YWCA Hawaiʻi Island. “Our honorees exemplify what it means to be remarkable, and have truly gone above and beyond in service to others.”

Dolan has been practicing medicine in East Hawaiʻi for two decades and serves as a mentor to future physicians and healthcare providers. Roth has been the Hawaiʻi County prosecutor for four years and is being recognized for his tireless efforts to create a safe and healthy community on Hawaiʻi Island.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the luncheon are available in limited quantity. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call Naomi of the YWCA of Hawaiʻi Island office at (808) 930-5705, or email [email protected].

Dr. Lynda Dolan. Photo courtesy of YWCA of Hawaii Island.

Dolan is a family practice physician who is passionate about caring for the community and improving people’s health care experience. She moved to Hilo from upstate New York in 1997 after meeting an island-boy, Michael Costales, whom she would later marry. Together they have four children.

Beyond her practice at The Family Medicine Center, she serves as medical director for Hospice of Hilo and is a board member of the East Hawaiʻi Independent Physician Association. Dolan has also served on Hilo Medical Center’s Medical Executive Committee, holding various positions including the first female Chief of Staff. Now she serves on the Center’s Utilization Review committee. Additionally, she sits on the Hilo Medical Foundation Board of Trustees and actively volunteers at St. Joseph School in Hilo. Dolan also mentors students pursuing careers in healthcare, and in her spare time, precepts at the Hawaiʻi Island Family Residency Clinic.

Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth. Photo courtesy of YWCA of Hawaii Island.

Roth has been a prosecutor in Hawaiʻi for more than two decades, serving as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the City & County of Honolulu and Hawaiʻi County. He is married to Noriko Yamada Roth and together they have three children.

In 1998, Roth joined the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office where he supervised the asset forfeiture program, the community-oriented prosecution project, and was a special assistant U.S. Attorney. Roth helped launch the Community Coalition for Neighborhood Safety Big Island chapter, was the interagency coordinator for the Domestic Violence Interagency Team, and helped bring the Shattered Dreams Youth Alcohol Prevention project to the island. He was elected as the Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney in 2012 and reelected in 2016.

Roth’s commitment to the local community shines through his involvement with organizations including the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi Island, Exchange Club of Hilo, Rotary Club of Hilo, and the Western Community Policing Institute, where he’s been a trainer since 1996. He has served on a number of boards and committees statewide including the Community Empowerment Organization, Turning Point for Families, Hawaiʻi Community Resource Center, and YMCA Hawaiʻi Island.