Event Honors Outstanding Native Hawaiians

Elliot Mills is the Vice President, Hotel Operations for Disneyland
Resort and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa. In this role, Elliot oversees
all operations for the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim, Calif., as well as Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, in Ko Olina, Hawai‘i. For more information, download the complete program.

The Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce held an annual event, the O‘o Awards Gala, on Friday, May 10, 2019, which included an elegant dining experience centered around honoring outstanding Native Hawaiians who have made significant contributions toward advancement and increased vibrancy within the Hawaiian community.

Dr. Angela Pratt is the current President of the Hawaii Medical Association Honolulu and the Chief of the Department of Ob-Gyn at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children. She is the first native Hawaiian and first female to hold this esteem position. For more information, download the complete program.

This year’s O‘o Award was presented to Elliot Mills, Na Leo Pilimehana and Angela Pratt, M.D.

The concept of this year’s gala is ‘āina momona, the concept of thriving, abundant and sustainable land. Although the traditional notion of ‘āina momona is a land that abounds in and produces much food, as it relates to present day, ‘āina momona can be applied more broadly to included not only food but other ways in which we can enable Hawai‘i and the Native Hawaiian Community as a whole to thrive.

Na Leo Pilimehana, which in Hawaiian means the “voices blending together in warmth”, is the most popular, most award-winning and biggest selling female Hawaiian group in the world. Na Leo, also known as Nalani Jenkins, Lehua Kalima and Angela Morales, have been performing together for over 30 years. For more information, download the complete program.

The honorees and their respective fields of concentration, as well as their community contributions, span a variety of areas, all of which are critical to ensuring that our land, our environment and our lahui thrive for generations to come.

The full program can be downloaded: 2019 Program FINAL.

Find the event video online.