Casil and Mattos — 2021 Gintong Pamana Leadership Awards Recipients

Casil and Mattos—2021 Gintong Pamana Leadership Awards Recipients

Elizabeth Ayson, Ph.D.

The primary mission of the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce is to promote, advance and stimulate interest and participation in business, industry, trade and commerce.” To this end, the annual Gintong Pamana event celebrates leaders within our community with an award to recognize how their leadership has made a difference. Of equal significance, exemplary students are honored with scholarships to help them reach their goals, with funds donated by community members and fund raising activities of the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation. [See Community … in Action for list of Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation scholarship recipients.]

The Gintong Pamana Leadership Award recognizes the benefits to the community of those among us who emerge to take charge in a moment of crisis, in response to an identified cause that needs attention, and every time a group has incentive to produce a collective blessing. Glenn Casil and David “Kawika” Mattos are the 2021 awardees.

Glen Casil
Photo courtesy Glen Casil

Glenn Casil has been in the hospitality industry for more than thirty years, graduating from Maui High School. After completing an Associate Degree at Maui Community College, he earned a Bachelor of business Administration degree in Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Today, as an active member of Hawai‘i Management Association, Casil serves as Chair of the Student/Executive Interchange Committee.

With acute attention to detail towards strategic planning and flawless execution, he is adept at building relationships, teams and mentoring talent, with a focus on creating customer loyalty. Possessing sound financial acumen with operating budgets, principal & interest, and achieving profitability goals, Casil is an effective problem solver. Beginning his career at the Hyatt in housekeeping and Front Desk positions, Casil moved to the Westin to become Director of Rooms, Hotel Manager and now Director of Operations at The Westin Wailea Villas, being an integral part of the opening team for the resort. With a history of effective leadership, he is recognized for helping to shape the future of the industry.

Community service is one of Casil’s passions, participating in island wide initiatives, such as the Maui Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up, and other cleanups/restoration projects. Volunteer efforts include mālama activities in Honokōwai and Honokōhau as well as the windfarms at Kaheawa. Beyond the physical work, he gives time and energy to fundraise, donates food to the Maui Food Bank and gifts to the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, and has served dozens of our elderly during the Kūpuna Dinners held during the holiday season. Known as a communicator, Casil enjoys guest speaking invitations to the local college hospitality classes and doing Mock interviews at high schools to help students prepare and practice interviewing skills.

Family first is demonstrated in the success of his two children, one who recently graduated from Washington State University and the other, a medical student on O‘ahu. With his wife, an educator at a local elementary school, they are primary caregivers for Casil’s father, who clearly instilled the values of hard work and family.

As one observer writes in a summary, “He is a fine example of a strong and caring Filipino leader. He mentors those that work and with him. He helps those in the community. He influences the youth and students to become our future leaders and he embodies what being a family-first husband and father represents.”

David “Kawika” Mattos
Photo courtesy David Mattos

David “Kawika” Mattos is introduced by a supporter with “His journey towards selfless service and leadership to the community began as a program manager for the Maui Youth and Family Services boys and girls Residential Intensive Program (RIP). Later he became a foster parent and provided a home for five boys. After several years as a foster parent he became the Director for Maui Central Boys & Girls Club, followed by three years as Executive Director on Hawai‘i Island. Upon returning to Maui, he took the reins at the Paukūkalo B&G Club for five years, helping to make it the most attended and thriving club on Maui. Eventually he became the Central Maui Island Area Director. He has provided guidance, mentoring, and a safe environment for the children of our community and established a culture of respect during his time with the Boys & Girls Clubs.” Of his life as community servant, “he has worked in the most difficult and challenging environment for many years. He has served the high risk, underserved, and critical areas of our communities. He has the biggest heart, dedication, and patience to serve our community selflessly.”

After attending the University of Hawai‘i-Hilo to study Business Administration, Mattos moved to Maui and started his family, to which he gave full devotion. For him, his “greatest success is being married for thirty-four years, raising five respectful adult-children of which we adopted two biological brothers in foster care and being a positive role model to many people.”

Today, Mattos serves as the Program/Supervisor & Facilitator of Kane Connections, a program that teaches men that any man can father a child but there is so much more to the important role of being dad in a child’s life. As a member of the Hawai‘i State Commission on Fatherhood, Mattos served as Chair for two years and is credited for reviving and revitalization of the organization after many years of inactivity. Through his diligence and determination, the Commission activated its mission to promote healthy family relationships by emphasizing the important role fathers play in the lives of their children. The Commission serves an advisory function to state agencies and makes recommendations on programs, services, contracts policies and laws relating to children and families. Also, Mattos’ involvement with Early Childhood Action Strategies (ECAS) helped to further their focus on supporting families with newborns to six years old to involve fathers with their families. Finally, Mattos is part of the Nā Leo Kāne, an organization under the State Department of Health (DOH) that focuses on the prevention of family and children’s physical and sexual violence and abuse.

Serving the community in many ways, he was keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Hawai‘i State Fatherhood Conference in 2018, helped to organize the 14th Annual Celebration of Fathers, Ho‘olaule‘a O Na Makua-kane on Maui. Currently Mattos teaches life classes at Aloha House to men and women on relationships and cultural practices that focus on trauma and personalities. In the Maui Community Correctional Center (MCCC) system, he works with incarcerated men through their re-entry coalition.

Casil and Mattos, together with the Scholarship Recipients, will be honored during the Gintong Pamana Leadership and Scholarship Awards Banquet held on Thursday, June 29, 2021 which will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Maui Beach Hotel. Advance tickets are available at $75 each if purchased by June 15, 2021 and $100 thereafter.

Elizabeth Ayson, Ph.D. is a retired educator, having served in the State Department of Education for more than forty years. She previously served as the Principal at ‘Īao Intermediate School, the Vice Principal at Lihikai Elementary School and Maui High School, and she taught at Lihikai Elementary School, Blanche Pope School in Waimānalo, O‘ahu, Frank V. Thompson Middle School and Stuart Elementary School in Boston, Massachusetts. She was graduated from Baldwin High School, Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois (majoring in Music Education and Elementary Education), and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (M.Ed.). She received her doctorate from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio.