Conference Keynote Speakers

Our Rotary International President's Representative is Johrita Solari.  Saturday morning Maya Soetoro and Kent Keith will be speaking about Leadership. The Saturday evening keynote speaker is former Ambassador Jim Moriarty.  Friday evening, Ke'elikolani Middle School Principal Joe Passantino will speak about how his school has benefited from Rotary efforts. Read more for their bios
 
Johrita Solari is the Rotary International President's Representative.  Johrita Solari is Chair of the Board and Chief Visionary Officer of Solari Enterprises, a company she founded to provide quality affordable housing. A member of the Rotary Club of Anaheim, she has served Rotary in numerous leadership roles, including Rotary International Vice President and Director, District Governor, and currently as Vice Chair of the Rotary International Programs Committee. She also chairs the U.S. Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force. Johrita has participated in National Immunization Days in Mexico, Nigeria, and Pakistan—experiences that have deeply shaped her commitment to global service. She and her husband Bruce have been married 55 years and share a family deeply involved in Rotary
 
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng is a Faculty Specialist in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She also serves as the University’s liaison to the Obama Foundation and works with the Foundation’s Leaders program and Global Girls Alliance on initiatives in Hawaiʻi and the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, she was the Director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawaiʻi, where, in addition to leading outreach and development initiatives, she also taught Leadership for Social Change, Peace Movements, Peace Education, and Conflict Management. For many years, she worked at the College of Education at the University, where she taught Multicultural Education, Social Studies Methods, and Peace Education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Maya sits on several voluntary boards and is the Co-Founder of the non-profits Ceeds of Peace, The Peace Studio, and The Institute for Climate and Peace.
 
James F. Moriarty is a consultant on national security affairs.  He served previously as Special Assistant to the President of the United States, U.S. Ambassador, career diplomat, and country head for the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. From 2016 to 2023, Ambassador Moriarty was Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the organization Congress established to manage the U.S. relationship with Taiwan.  As a career U.S. diplomat for 36 years, Ambassador Moriarty worked primarily on East and South Asia.  Among Ambassador Moriarty’s numerous awards are individual State Department Superior Honor Awards for his work in China (2000) and on Yugoslavia (1993) and two Group Superior Honor Awards.
 
 
Dr. Kent M. Keith, a member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise, graduated from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu in 1966. He earned a B.A. from Harvard University, an M.A. from Oxford University in England, a Certificate in Japanese from Waseda University in Tokyo, a law degree from the University of Hawaii, and a doctorate in higher education leadership from the University of Southern California. He was the first graduate of a Hawaii public high school to become a Rhodes Scholar. During his career, Kent served as an attorney with Cades Schutte Fleming & Wright, Director of Planning and Economic Development in Governor Ariyoshi’s administration, Project Manager of the Mililani Technology Park, President of Chaminade University, Senior Vice President of the YMCA of Honolulu, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership in the United States, CEO of the Greenleaf Centre for Servant Leadership-Asia in Singapore, and President of Pacific Rim Christian University in Honolulu. 
 

Principal Joe Passantino is an educational leader and administrator serving at Keʻelikōlani Middle School in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Recognized for his student-centered leadership style and commitment to school culture, Passantino was named the 2024 Hawaiʻi Principal of the Year. He is known for implementing innovative programs focused on student engagement, attendance improvement, restorative practices, and expanded learning opportunities for middle school students. Under his leadership, Keʻelikōlani Middle School has introduced creative initiatives designed to strengthen student connection and academic success, including after-school enrichment programs and attendance incentive efforts. Colleagues and students describe him as an energetic and hands-on principal who prioritizes relationship-building and positive campus culture.