Relationships at Work: A Family Business Perspective

This session offers an engaging and interactive look at the work of the Hawaii Employers Council and how it supports businesses across the state. The speakers will also share personal reflections from growing up in and around their families’ businesses, including both the rewards and the complexities, and how those experiences shaped their paths outside the family business. Through guided emotional intelligence and communication activities, participants will be invited to reflect, discuss, and explore practical ways to navigate relationships and work together more effectively across generations and roles.

Learn more about our speakers:

Lina Le joins the Hawaii Employers Council as the Membership Initiatives Manager. She is responsible for driving growth and sustainability by fostering strong member relationships and leading member value-added programs. As a former member of the HEC Board of Governors, Lina brings a unique and well-rounded perspective to the council. Lina previously held senior positions in human resources and operations, working with HEC member companies in a variety of industries, including hospitality, airline, education, warehouse distribution and production. In 2020, Lina was chosen as Hawaii Business Magazine’s 20 for the next 20.

Lina currently serves as a corporate board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii. She is senior certified professional with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and was a former member of SHRM Hawaii Board of Directors, SHRM National Young Professional Advisory Committee (YPAC), SHRM Hawaii Chapter Young Professionals Committee, and Hawaii People’s Fund board of directors. Lina earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Human Resource Management from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is fluent in Vietnamese.

Christina Tamaru joined HEC to support the ongoing expansion of the Talent & Organizational Development department’s training repertoire to meet the growing needs of our members and to deliver public and private sessions.

Prior to joining HEC, Christina served as a program manager at Hawaiian Airlines, where she led accessibility initiatives and ensured compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act. She was also responsible for developing and communicating operational policies and procedures. In addition, she previously served as a high school Japanese language teacher at Punahou School and has several years of combined experience in the education field in local, mainland, and international settings.

Christina received her Master of Arts in Global Studies from the University of Tokyo and her Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Whitman College.