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Monica Takamura has been named chief fiscal officer of Maui Economic Opportunity, one of Maui County's largest nonprofits with an annual budget of about $22 million.
Takamura took over for retiring CFO Debbie Lorenzo on June 18, MEO said in a news release July 21. She has the responsibility of managing and monitoring the finances of the nonprofit, which has more than 40 programs and 220 staff.
This includes shepherding her eight-member team, managing audits, grants, budgets and payroll and working with MEO's five departments on fiscal matters.
Takamura joined MEO from Tri-Isle, Inc., where she was a bookkeeper. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis on accounting from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
Through her 25 years at MEO, Takamura worked her way up through the Fiscal Department from accountant in 1998 to accounting manager in 2017, working directly under Lorenzo. Her rise included positions as assistant fiscal officer, budget specialist and senior accountant. In September 2022, Takamura was named fiscal director, a transitional position to her becoming CFO.
Lorenzo remained with MEO until July 14 to assist with the transition, ending her 16 years as CFO and 31 years with MEO.
"Fiscal integrity, soundness and transparency are cornerstones of a thriving and trustworthy nonprofit organization," said CEO Debbie Cabebe. "If grantors and donors are going to give you money, they have to know that the funds will be used wisely and according to their terms.
"MEO has a reputation of clean audits and abiding by often complex federal, state and county guidelines and reporting, which attests to Debbie Lorenzo's leadership. Monica worked under Debbie, and she will continue that tradition of fiscal management."