On this episode, Sherry Menor-McNamara and Jo McGarry discuss how to boost businesses and the economy in 2022.
In her tenure as President & CEO of the Chamber, Sherry Menor-McNamara shares with podcast host, Jo McGarry, how these past two years have been the most challenging for business owners due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Tune in to hear how businesses can effect change, rally for recovery and navigate the path forward through the Boost 4Business initiative and by telling their story with policymakers.
Bio:
Sherry Menor-McNamara was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii on September 1, 2013; becoming the youngest and first female President and CEO of the Chamber in the organization’s 170-year history, as well as the first Asian to serve as CEO of a State Chamber. She previously served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. She joined the Chamber as Director of Business Advocacy in 2006 and was promoted to Vice President of Business Advocacy and Government Affairs in 2007. Under her leadership, the Chamber was recognized as the 2018 State Chamber of the Year, a national award presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Prior to joining the Chamber, she was events manager for ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. She has lived in several major cities, including Tokyo, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and London, working for a wide variety of companies, such as Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Estee Lauder Company, Elton John Production, as well as for the Hawaii State Legislature, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka and the Executive Office of the United States President.
She currently serves on numerous boards including the Hawaii Tourism Authority, JAIMS Foundation, and Move Oahu Forward. Nationally, she serves the board for the U.S. Chamber, Council of State Chambers, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, including its Executive Committee, and the U.S. Chamber Committee of 100.
Sherry earned a certificate in expanding impact in advocacy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education. She received her juris doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law and her MBA from the Shidler College of Business – both at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also pursued graduate study in public administration at the University of Southern California and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Hilo, where she graduated from Waiakea High School, Sherry is married to John McNamara. She is a certified yoga teacher and enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with her husband and dog, Kuma-chan.
As the “Voice of Business” in Hawaii, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii is a statewide, non-profit organization whose mission is to serve as the advocate for business in Hawaii. Learn more online at cochawaii.org, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
