Local News

MEO honors retiring CEO Debbie Cabebe after 26-year career

Debbie Cabebe, the longtime leader of Maui Economic Opportunity, was honored Friday during a retirement celebration attended by more than 150 family members, friends, staff and community leaders.

Cabebe retired after 26 years with the nonprofit, including the past nine as chief executive officer. Maggie Batangan succeeded her as CEO on Saturday.

Speakers at the send-off included Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, County Council Chair Alice Lee, state Sen. Troy Hashimoto, retired Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Carol Reimann, MEO Board President Ned Davis, Chief Programs Officer Gay Sibonga and Batangan.

Maui County Council members Yuki Lei Sugimura, Tom Cook, Gabe Johnson and Kauanoe Batangan also attended the ceremony, along with state Reps. Kyle Yamashita and Tyson Miyake, leaders of local nonprofits and people who have received support through MEO programs.

Speakers praised Cabebe's leadership, compassion and commitment to the community, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

"Thank you for believing in people, leading with compassion and for leaving MEO stronger than you found it," Sibonga said. "Your legacy is not measured only in the programs you built or the millions of dollars you secured. It is measured by the lives you've changed, the people you mentored, the community you strengthened and the countless hearts you've touched along the way."

Sibonga, whose friendship with Cabebe began when they worked at the former Liberty House department store, served as Cabebe's second-in-command in the aftermath of the wildfire.

She said Cabebe carefully evaluated which recovery programs MEO had the expertise and capacity to operate while helping connect other programs with organizations better suited to lead them.

"She understood that true leadership isn't about doing everything," Sibonga said. "It's about ensuring people receive the help they need."

Davis said the scale of MEO's wildfire response was immense and required the agency to create new systems while assistance programs were already operating.

"The structure to support all of this was built on the fly, like building the car while driving it down the road," Davis said. "It was a tremendous accomplishment and tremendous thing to do for our community."

Cabebe joined MEO in 2000 as human resources manager under then-Executive Director Gladys Baisa. She became chief operating officer in 2011 and chief executive officer in 2017.

Early in her career at the agency, Cabebe drew on her private-sector human resources experience to modernize MEO's hiring and employment practices. She introduced formal job descriptions and separation procedures, updated anti-discrimination and labor policies and strengthened budgeting and financial practices.

Cabebe also helped expand MEO Youth Services to Molokai. The Kaohi program offers in-school and after-school suicide, bullying, drug, alcohol and smoking prevention programs for middle and high school students, along with leadership, cultural and community service activities.

She also helped expand transportation services in rural communities on Molokai and Lanai and in East Maui.

MEO's operating budget grew from $16 million to $37 million during Cabebe's tenure as CEO.

"You did exactly what all good leaders do," Bissen said. "You've left this organization better than you found it."

Hashimoto said Cabebe followed influential MEO leaders including Joe Souki and Baisa while establishing her own legacy.

"There are some big personalities, but I believe she made her own distinct mark," Hashimoto said.

He also praised Cabebe's succession planning, saying she spent nearly a year preparing Batangan to assume the organization's top leadership position.

Cabebe credited her predecessors and MEO staff for the agency's success, saying "it really does take a village."

"MEO is bigger than one person," she said. "I am fortunate to have so many inspirational leaders before me" and employees who continued showing up during stressful and exhausting periods to serve people in need.

"When I walked through those doors, I never dreamt how profoundly working here would change my life," Cabebe said.

She also expressed confidence in the organization's future under Batangan and the MEO leadership team.

"I am excited for this next chapter," Cabebe said. "I truly believe MEO is in an extremely good position to move forward and take it to the next level. That's what you hope for as a leader. You want to see it get better and better.

"And with Maggie at the helm and her team, you are going to see some amazing things happen."

MEO, founded in 1965, operates more than 40 programs serving low-income residents, kupuna, youths, people with disabilities and immigrants throughout Maui County. For more information, visit meoinc.org or call (808) 249-2990.