HONOLULU -- The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau selected John
Monahan as its new president and chief executive officer.
That's the latest step in the board of directors' effort to
rebuild the organization, which lost marketing contracts to private
companies and suffered the departure of its two top leaders in the
past year.
Most recently, Monahan, 52, resigned one month after the U.S.
Trustee's Office and Bankruptcy Court appointed him to serve as
Chapter 11 trustee for Hawaiian Airlines. He cited health concerns
at the time.
Though he declined to provide details, Monahan said that after
three months of tests, his condition was determined to be "a little
bit of a false alarm," adding he is in good physical condition.
At the HVCB he will earn a base salary of $235,000 per year,
with a bonus plan that includes 50% of his salary if he meets
certain criteria.
Monahan's background is primarily in retail. As president and
CEO of Hawaii department store chain Liberty House, he guided the
enterprise through a three-year bankruptcy reorganization that was
completed in 2001.
He replaces interim HVCB president and CEO Les Enderton, who
will return to his full-time post as executive director of the Oahu
Visitors Bureau.
Enderton took over the HVCB posts in July when former president
and CEO Tony Vericella resigned in the wake of a critical state
audit that charged him with misuse of funds and the HVCB with
mismanagement.
Monahan will ensure the HVCB is "operating in a fiscally
responsible way," the organization said.
Marketing efforts will focus on North America; both HVCB offices
in Japan will close before the end of the year.
Another top priority for Monahan will be to fill the vacancy
left by David Preece, who resigned his position as HVCB's vice
president North America to serve as president and CEO of The Travel
Institute.
Monahan also indicated that he would like to boost tourism by
developing new products, particularly for Oahu.
To contact reporter Katherine Nichols, send e-mail to [email protected].