Big Island PATH Leader Makes Kaiser’s National Honor Roll

Tina Clothier has been named to Kaiser Permanente’s national Thriving Schools Honor Roll for her work helping Hawai‘i’s keiki. Jan. 8, 2019. Courtesy photo.

Hawai‘i Island’s Tina Clothier has been named to Kaiser Permanente’s national Thriving Schools Honor Roll for her work helping Hawai‘i’s keiki.

The Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Honor Roll awards program recognizes individuals who are championing sustainable, healthy school environments. The program celebrates successes, recognizes innovation and elevates best practices so that we can all be inspired.

As the executive director for People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii (PATH), Clothier works on Hawai‘i County Mayor Harry Kim’s Active Living Advisory Committee to develop policies that create safe, healthy, pedestrian-friendly communities.

PATH has helped to establish walking and bike paths on the Big Island, walk to school days, and a statewide Complete Streets policy that is the first of its kind in the country.

“A convener. An innovator. A bold leader. These are the titles that are used to describe the way that Tina Clothier goes about her work,” Kaiser said about Clothier on its Thriving Schools website.

As the head of PATH, a small but dynamic nonprofit organization committed to promoting community health across Hawaii’s Big Island, Clothier has been instrumental in building support for active transportation, particularly among Hawaii’s schools.

Clothier and PATH played a key role in establishing the Mayor’s Active Living Advisory Committee (MALAC), an advisory group made up of representatives from the county; the State Departments of Transportation; and the health, education, and business sectors who work with the mayor to enact policies and initiatives that foster safe, healthy, and active schools and communities.

The success of PATH’s outreach and collaboration efforts is evident in the proliferation of walking and biking education programs, walk to school days, and the passing of a statewide Complete Streets policy.