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Longtime Women Helping Women Executive Director Stacey Moniz will be leaving the domestic violence shelter March 17 to head the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The coalition, a private nonprofit organization, is a statewide partnership of domestic violence programs and shelters.
"It is bittersweet," Moniz said of her departure. "I'm excited to take my advocacy to a different level."
Moniz will begin her new job March 20. Her role will include representing the state at conventions and meetings, which includes advocacy for organizations such as Women Helping Women. The coalition also engages communities and organizations to end domestic violence through education, advocacy and action for social justice.
A replacement has not been announced for Moniz, who has spent 20 years at Women Helping Women advocating for abused and battered people. She spent her last 16 years as executive director.
In total, she has 30 years in the domestic violence and women's advocacy fields, including with Alternatives to Violence, which has since closed.
Moniz, 52, who has been a victim of domestic violence herself, felt that the time was right to leave the Maui organization. She said she has always wanted to work at the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. With the job change, Moniz will have to relocate to Oahu.
At Women Helping Women, Moniz has guided an expansion of services, including to Lanai -- where there now is a shelter -- and programs focused in Hana and Lahaina.
When Moniz began in 1997, the domestic abuse shelter had 15 employees. After Women Helping Women hires five more employees for its new Lanai shelter, the organization will have 30 employees, a doubling of the number of workers during her tenure.
The organization also has established the ReVive Boutique at Kahului Shopping Center, where clothes donated to the shelter are sold. The proceeds benefit the organization's programs, and the boutique serves as a vocational training program for women who need to re-enter the workforce after dealing with violent relationships.
Last year, Moniz unsuccessfully ran for the Maui County Council's Upcountry residency seat, which was won by Yuki Lei Sugimura.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.