Leader of group that serves
native Hawaiians resignsBoard members hope to have
a successor found by December
Tara Lulani Arquette has resigned "to rest and rejuvenate" after more than six years as president and chief executive of Alu Like Inc., which provides social services to more than 17,000 native Hawaiians.
"Working in nonprofits takes a lot of hours," said Arquette, who has steered Alu Like since September 1997. "It catches up with you."
Arquette said she plans to take three to four months off before looking for work elsewhere. Her last day at the organization is Dec. 5.
Arquette submitted her resignation to Alu Like's board of directors in late September, and the organization began advertising for the position in October.
The deadline to apply for the position is Friday but is subject to an extension if suitable candidates are not found, said board Chairwoman Winona Rubin. The board's members hope to have chosen Arquette's successor by early December, Rubin said.
Arquette, Alu Like's fifth president since the organization was founded in 1974, has held the nonprofit's reigns through some of its toughest economic times.
The organization, which is largely dependent on federal money, has had to eliminate or reduce a number of its services over the past two years because of funding reductions that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Alu Like's services include child care, at-risk youth education, vocational training and elderly programs for native Hawaiians.
Past presidents include Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona and Rubin, who was also one of the nonprofit's founding members.
"We're the largest nonprofit for native Hawaiians," Arquette said. "We have a certain place and reputation to uphold, a real strong commitment and belief helping uplift our native Hawaiian communities. We're upholding that responsibility in these tough times."
To counter Alu Like's dependence on government grants, Arquette oversaw the creation of the organization's for-profit subsidiary.
The arm now brings in a fairly steady stream of funds and is expected to grow with time, she said.
Arquette also helped form the organization's kapuna council, a group of elders who discuss "our vision and values (and) talk about our culture and the importance of spirituality."
A native Hawaiian born in Arizona and raised in Oregon, Arquette came to the state 28 years ago and earned her master's degree in political science and a certificate in public administration at the University of Hawaii.
Before starting with Alu Like, Arquette was head of the controversial Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council, which conducted a plebiscite that called for a convention and election of delegates for a sovereign Hawaiian government.
