Board of Directors
Charlene Nishida – Interim President
Charlene Nishida joined the WHMC Board in July 2022. She brings 15 years of experience working at non-profits in San Francisco, the Big Island and Oahu including the San Francisco Bay Girl Scout Council, Hospice of Kona and the American Cancer Society. She has also served as a board member on several Big Island non-profits. She is a small business owner and a Certified Real Estate Appraiser for the past 15 years. The Nishida clan lives in Kamuela and include her husband, three children and numerous animals. As a former recipient of services of the West Hawaii Mediation Center, she looks forward to expanding awareness of the benefits of mediation services to our West Hawaii community. She can personally attest to the positive impacts that mediation services provide.
George Winchell – Director
George has a son living in Honolulu. He has a second home in Michigan where he spends 3-4 months each year. He re-retired June 30, 2018. He spends his time enjoying Hawaiʻi, reading, learning to be an ukulele luthier, and visiting his son.
Paul Darr – Treasurer
For the past 15 years, Paul has worked in the field of Banking and Finance. Paul started in operations with Bank of America. Soon after his role expanded into leadership. In the pursuit of development he obtained his licensing, and navigated the world of Financial Advising with Merrill Lynch. His heart for connecting with and better serving the community brought him to his current role as Branch Manager for HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union.
Nelson Hairston Jr. – Secretary
Nelson has lived in Waimea since 2019 when he and his wife moved here after he retired from his position as Professor of Environmental Science at Cornell University with an expertise in the ecology of lakes and streams. On Hawaii Island he is studying the ecology of endemic ‘opae’ula (shrimp) in anchialine pools along the Kona-Kohala coast and invasive crustaceans (copepods) in local farm ponds. Nelson was introduced to WHMC by his neighbor and previous Board VP, Niel Thomas, and joined the Board of Directors in March 2022. He is currently a member of the Science Advisory Board of a freshwater research institute in Berlin, Germany, and in the past has served as Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell, as well as on the Cornell Board of Trustees and the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the Earth/Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, New York. Nelson and he wife are grateful to live on the Big Island with its many wonderful people, and thankful for the water they receive from Kohala Mountain.
Sean Duim – Director
Sean Duim has served on the Board of Directors for the West Hawaiʻi Mediation Center since 2020. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.S. in Business Administration Finance. During his time at UNC, he worked in the Office of Student Life, leading new student orientations and coordinating the biannual Student Involvement Fair. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, serving as the head of new member education. He also served as Scholarship Chair, overseeing member’s academics and finding scholarship opportunities. He has moved back to his hometown of Kailua Kona with his wife and baby daughter. Now being home, he hopes to further give back to his community that has given him so much. He currently works for his family business as a Real Estate Appraiser. During his free time, he enjoys being in the ocean and spending quality time at the beach with his family.
Stephanie Beeby – Interim Vice President
Stephanie Beeby is a seasoned Leadership Development and Business Strategist, with a background in Organizational Psychology and Founder of ‘In Flow CEO Consulting.’ She specializes in working with progressive, everyday entrepreneurs to clarify, energize, and optimize their business systems, ensuring alignment between their actions and overall business strategies. Stephanie has collaborated with leaders from renowned organizations such as Disney, Toyota, TaylorMade Adidas, Boeing, Petco, Inc., Four Seasons, various start-ups, and non-profits.