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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai‘i Foundation is happy to announce that SaraLyn Smith has joined the team, and four development professionals have been promoted.

New Hire

SaraLyn Smith has joined the UH Foundation fundraising team as the director of development for the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, and the Library at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In this role she will expand fundraising efforts and broaden philanthropic support for these colleges and the library. Most recently, she served as the director of development at the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. An attorney by trade, Smith’s career has included serving as an executive director, CEO, a mediator, facilitator and trainer in addition to the private practice of law. SaraLyn attended Purdue University where she earned her BA, then earned a JD at DePaul University. She is a licensed attorney in both Illinois and Hawai‘i and a certified mediator in Indiana. She has pursued professional development from Indiana University School of Philanthropy, Harvard Law School and Pepperdine University School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Promotions

Harriet Cintron has been promoted to senior director of development, UH Mānoa, where her primary responsibility is to provide direct fundraising support to the School of Architecture, School of Pacific and Asian Studies, and the School of Travel Industry Management. Most recently she served as director of development, and prior to that she was a gift officer for the Mānoa campus.  In this elevated role, Harriet will continue to provide fundraising support to the Schools of Architecture, Pacific and Asian Studies and Travel Industry Management. She was born and reared in Honolulu, and earned her BA from UH Mānoa.


Jeffrie Jones has been promoted to executive director of development for the John A. Burns School of Medicine at UH Mānoa. She joined the UH Foundation in 2007 as the director of development for the medical school, and since that time has focused her team’s efforts on major gifts and building a culture of philanthropy and alumni engagement at the medical school. Jones has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and brand management, having worked at General Mills and Helene Curtis on the mainland and overseas before moving to Hawai‘i in 1990. In Hawai‘i Jones served as the director of general merchandise and director of marketing for Foodland Super Market Ltd. and as vice president at Peck Sims Mueller. She also led the start-up fundraising efforts at Straub Clinic and Hospital, an affiliate of Hawaii Pacific Health, as its first director of philanthropy. Jones earned an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a BA from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Leslie Lewis has been promoted to senior director of development at UH Mānoa for the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and Faculty Programs. Lewis has been a development professional for the past 35 years, playing a key role in securing funds for nonprofits both in Hawai‘i and on the US mainland.  In Hawai‘i, she served as founding development director for both Hawai‘i Public Radio and UH Hilo; for five years, she was the development director for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.  During the past 8 years, she has served as director of development for the UH Mānoa College of Arts and Sciences and for CTAHR. She earned a BA from Loyola University in New Orleans, and an MA from UH Mānoa.


Unyong Nakata, MBA, has been promoted to senior director of development for the Shidler College of Business at UH Mānoa. Most recently she served as the director of development for Shidler College of Business. In this elevated role, Unyong will continue to provide direct fundraising support to the College as well as manage the overall advancement program including alumni, annual giving, marketing, and stewardship.  Nakata was originally hired as the marketing coordinator in the Office of Estate and Gift Planning at the UH Foundation in 2006.  A proud Shidler alumna, she has been serving her alma mater since 2008 when she joined the Shidler College of Business alumni and development team. Unyong sits on the boards of the Junior League of Honolulu and the Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Program.  

Learn about career opportunities at the UH Foundation, and join our team.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.