Don Horner named chairman of Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau

HONOLULU, HI – Donald G.

HONOLULU, HI – Donald G. Horner, chairman and chief executive officer of First Hawaiian Bank, has been named chairman of the board of directors for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) for 2011. He succeeds Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, who was chairman for the past two years.

“Don’s position as one of the leaders of our business community is a great asset to the bureau, since tourism’s well-being affects virtually every business in the state,” said John Monahan, HVCB’s president and CEO. “Under his leadership, we will look to further strengthen the synergy between tourism and the local business communities on all islands as we continue to brand Hawaii as a top destination for leisure and business travel.”

“Tourism, clearly is our state’s most vital industry,” Horner said. “The Hawaii Tourism Authority and HVCB have done a remarkable job in maintaining our industry’s performance during some very challenging times. I look forward to working with Hawaii’s tourism leaders and the statewide stakeholders to ensure our number one industry remains an important solution in restoring and sustaining our State’s overall economic health and vitality.”

Horner, who heads up the islands’ oldest and largest bank, has a long record of community service in Hawaii.

He is currently board chair of the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, board member and treasurer of Iolani School, and board member emeritus of Mid-Pacific Institute. He is also a board member of The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Children’s Discovery Center, Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation, Hawaii Asia Pacific Association, Foundation for the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Filipino Community Center, and the Honolulu Festival Foundation. He also serves on the advisory committees for the National Financial Services Roundtable and the National Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund.

Horner joined First Hawaiian Bank as a credit analyst in 1978 and was named CEO in 2005.

His education includes an undergraduate degree in business from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He is also an honors graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.

HVCB is contracted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state of Hawaii’s tourism agency, to provide marketing management services in North America.

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Linda Hohnholz

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