NDPTC presents Community Resilience Leadership Award to Jon Matsuoka

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Ashley Bareng, (808) 725-5234
Delivery Operations Coordinator, NDPTC, Urban and Regional Planning
Posted: Mar 17, 2015

Dr. Jon Matsuoka
Dr. Jon Matsuoka

The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) will be awarding Dr. Jon Matsuoka of the Consuelo Foundation with its 2015 Community Resilience Leadership Award at the Pacific Risk Management ʻohana (PRiMO) Conference Awards Luncheon at noon on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center.

PRiMO is a partnership involving various Pacific region organizations who are focused on community resilience and risk management. The PRiMO conference is held annually to bring together public and private organizations and individuals from government and the community.

Some of the conference attendees this year include His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, and Dr. Mark Keim, founder and CEO of DisasterDoc and former Associate Director for Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Each year NDPTC selects an individual who is dedicated to building resilience, has made significant contributions to community resilience and shares NDPTC’s concerns related to natural hazards, coastal communities, islands and territories. This year, Dr. Karl Kim, executive director at NDPTC, will award Matsuoka for to his work with the Consuelo Foundation and his efforts toward building resilience in Hawaiʻi and the Philippines.  

After visiting areas ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan, NDPTC representatives were able to see firsthand some of the projects that the Consuelo Foundation is currently heading. Current projects include providing assistance to widows by providing counseling, gifting coastal communities with boats to help them regain their fishing industries, and rebuilding damaged day care centers and schools in remote areas that are only accessible by boat.

The Consuelo Foundation also organized a conference with Philippine scientists at the University of the Philippines to discuss the useful typhoon preparedness information for distribution in low coastal areas.  In addition to his many undertakings with the Consuelo Foundation, Matsuoka is also being honored for his 20 years of work at UH Mānoa and his time served as dean of the School of Social Work.

Said Kim, “Under Jon's leadership, the Consuelo Foundation has made significant contributions to the Philippines following the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. Traveling with him to many of the hardest hit communities, I witnessed first-hand not only his deep commitment to the Filipino people, but also his ability to leverage assets and resources from agencies and institutions across the Pacific to assist in building back after disasters. He brings a deep long-term commitment to restoring livelihoods and repairing not just the physical environment but the emotional and social damage as well. He is committed to building, strong resilient communities through training, education and capacity building. He shares many of the values that we hold at the NDPTC.  He demonstrates how Hawaiʻi can contribute to the world.  We are honored to honor Dr. Jon Matsuoka with this award.”

The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) is a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which was expanded in 2007 to address all-hazards capabilities by the addition of the University of Hawai‘i. The NDPTC is authorized to develop and deliver training and educational programs related to homeland security and disaster management, with a specific focus on natural hazards, coastal communities and the special needs and opportunities of islands and territories. The NDPTC actively engages internally with FEMA and the University of Hawai‘i, as well as with external partners across the region to integrate the delivery of its trainings, products and service.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa fosters a multidisciplinary set of intellectual and practical tools to improve the quality of life for present and future generations, both locally and globally, through planning, public policy and social collaboration.

The College of Social Sciences (CSS) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa  is engaged in a broad range of research endeavors that address fundamental questions about human behavior and the workings of local, national and international political, social, economic and cultural institutions. Its vibrant student-centered academic climate supports outstanding scholarship through internships, and active and service learning approaches to teaching that prepare students for the life-long pursuit of knowledge.

For more information, visit: http://ndptc.hawaii.edu