HCF Staff Highlight: Terry George
Meet our New CEO & President
On August 1, Terry George succeeded Micah Kāne as HCF CEO and President. A respected and seasoned nonprofit leader, Terry brings decades of experience working collaboratively across Hawaiʻi’s nonprofit, government, and community sectors. His deep understanding of philanthropic foundations and their role in catalyzing impact makes him uniquely positioned to lead HCF into its next chapter.
Terry’s journey to HCF took him around the world, with formative experiences that led him to develop a collaborative approach to philanthropy he would bring back to the islands. After moving to Hawai‘i at age 12, he left for college, graduate school, and a career in international relations, having been recruited by the Ford Foundation to run its Human Rights and Governance Program in the Philippines.
“I was able to help invest in building the next wave of human rights organizations, post-Marcos, focusing on women’s rights and indigenous people’s rights,” he says. Reflecting on the experience, he adds, “Part of the job of philanthropy is to de-risk innovation and to build networks that use an inside-outside [of government] approach to create change at scale, so that systems work.”
Two Decades of Hawai‘i Impact
That early career work provided a blueprint for coordinating multiple stakeholders to achieve policy victories when he returned to Hawai‘i. From 2003 to 2025, Terry led the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, where he focused on two major priorities: closing the achievement gap in public education and restoring abundance in Hawai‘i’s near-shore fisheries. His approach relied on patience, persistence, and community-centered solutions.
One of his biggest successes was in transforming the relationship between fishing communities and state government. “As we basically... put community genius at the forefront, we began to see a sea change in the attitude of government, and they now embrace the community management approach and realize that it results in more fish for those who fish for sustenance and for a living, and also results in better trust between government and community.” The outcome: After 15 years of work during which there were no state authorized designations of community managed marine areas, now there are seven.
In education, Terry helped scale successful pilots statewide, including new teacher mentorship programs and career academies that connect high school students with high-wage, high-growth job opportunities. “We have supported the spread throughout, I think every high school now, dual credit programs, where you've got kids in high school getting community college credit for courses while they're in high school,” he says. The approach required “philanthropic funding for the glue—the connector organizations that can connect educators and employers together.”
Vision for HCF's Future
As Terry transitions to HCF, he brings a clear philosophy about its unique role. “The Hawai‘i Community Foundation is maybe, next to Kamehameha Schools, the single most important philanthropic institution in our state, and is probably the most trusted organization in the state,” he says. He sees this trust as fundamental to HCF’s opportunity to drive change as a “force multiplier of incredibly generous people who have decided they want to help make Hawai‘i a better place.”
Terry sees himself as a collaborative leader who will build on HCF’s existing strengths rather than impose dramatic changes. “I told the [HCF Board of Governors] that if they wanted a top-down leader who is going to come in and say, ‘Okay, we got to change everything up,’ I’m just not the person for them,” he says. Instead, his approach will focus on “building on everything that the foundation has already done, embracing the CHANGE Framework.”
Central to his vision is the belief that sustainable change requires cross-sector collaboration and community trust. “The role of philanthropy is that we do not have authority, we’re not government, but we have freedom to deploy dollars, and if we’re systematic in that, and able to build those cross-sector partnerships, then we can help achieve change at scale.”
Navigating Uncertain Times
Terry is wary of the current challenging environment for nonprofits while insisting that HCF serves as a stabilizing force, with a track record of responding to crises by creating collaborative funding mechanisms, from the Great Recession through COVID-19 to the Maui wildfires.
“Nonprofits are facing high levels of anxiety for the future, and all foundations are trying to figure out what to do with their limited but flexible resources,” he says. “But HCF has stepped up to the plate before... I see it as a place where people who don't know what to do can come and call and say, ‘What can I do as a small, medium, or large donor to make a difference during this time of uncertainty?’”
For professional advisors seeking to help clients achieve meaningful philanthropic impact, Terry's collaborative approach offers a model for how strategic giving can create lasting change. “HCF is just the best engine to bring together solution-oriented donors and courageous nonprofits, large and small, and then steward those funds in a way that makes a lasting difference in Hawai‘i,” he says. “We all own it. We're all welcomed to be a part of it.”
As HCF moves forward under Terry’s leadership, your clients can expect continued emphasis on collaborative partnerships, systems-level thinking, and the kind of patient, persistent work that creates generational impact for Hawai‘i’s communities.
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