Debbie Cabebe, CEO of Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO), received the Human Resources Volunteer Service Award at the Society for Human Resource Management Hawaiʻi Conference & Expo last month, recognizing her leadership in supporting communities affected by the 2023 wildfires. The honor, presented by SHRM Hawaiʻi, acknowledges individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to community service through volunteerism, leadership, and professional integrity.
Cabebe, a long-standing SHRM Hawaiʻi member, has led MEO since 2017, guiding the organization through multiple crises, including the pandemic and the devastating Lahaina and Kula fires. When the wildfires struck on August 8, 2023, she was called upon by federal, state, and county officials to coordinate emergency relief programs, becoming a central figure in the recovery effort. Her work over the past two years has focused on managing disaster response initiatives and ensuring aid reaches those most impacted.
During the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, MEO was designated by Maui County to administer the Hawaiʻi Emergency Laulima Partnership (HELP) program, delivering financial assistance to residents who lost income due to lockdowns. The program launched within days of approval, showcasing the agency’s capacity for rapid deployment.
Following the 2023 wildfires, MEO immediately began providing critical support services, including transportation, document restoration, translation, housing assistance, utilities, clothing, vehicle replacement, and school supplies. Key ongoing programs include the Maui Relief TANF Program, which offers comprehensive aid to families and individuals directly affected by the disaster, and the Maui Disaster Stabilization Grant, funded by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and administered through Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama with MEO handling disbursements.
Under Cabebe’s leadership, MEO has grown into one of Maui County’s largest nonprofit organizations, employing over 250 staff across the main islands and rural East Maui. With an annual budget exceeding $50 million, the agency served 55,000 individuals in fiscal year 2024 through more than 30 diverse initiatives. These span five major departments: Transportation (including Maui Bus Paratransit), Early Childhood Services (Head Start and infant-toddler programs), Community Services (rental and utility aid, employment support, reentry services, and cultural integration), Business Development Center (financial literacy, microloans, credit counseling), and Youth Services (prevention programs for substance use, bullying, and suicide).
Cabebe has also modernized MEO’s human resources framework, implementing policies compliant with legal and regulatory standards, enhancing organizational accountability. Her leadership embodies the values of Lōkahi (unity), Kinaʻole (excellence), and Kuleana (responsibility), criteria central to the award.
The recognition celebrates HR professionals who elevate their field through service. Cabebe has held leadership roles in the SHRM Hawaiʻi Educational Foundation, including serving as board president. MEO Board President Carol Reimann praised her ability to balance rigorous fiscal management with deep compassion, ensuring the organization fulfills its mission while remaining responsive to community needs.
The award was presented on October 17 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Waikīkī. MEO Chief Administrative Officer Maggie Clark Batangan also received a scholarship from the SHRM Hawaiʻi Educational Foundation to attend the conference.
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Maui Economic Opportunity’s Debbie Cabebe wins Hawaiʻi Volunteer Service Award : Maui Now
Maui Economic Opportunity CEO Debbie Cabebe was honored with the Human Resources Volunteer Service Award at the Society for Human Resource Management Hawaiʻi Conference & Expo last month for her work with individuals and families impacted by the 2023 wildfires. n n“This award recognizes a member of SHRM Hawaiʻi who gives selflessly and makes significant contributions to their community through their time, actions, talents and dedication,” the human resource professionals’ society says about the honor. n nA long-time member of SHRM Hawaiʻi, Cabebe joined MEO in 2000 as the nonprofit’s Human Resource Manager. She rose through the ranks and succeeded Lyn McNeff as the seventh CEO/Executive Director in the agency’s 60-year history in 2017. n n“When the wildfires devastated Maui, Debbie was asked by federal, state and county leaders to run assistance programs,” the award notes. “Her primary focus for the last two years is to manage the wildfire relief programs.” n nDuring Cabebe’s eight-year tenure as CEO, she has guided the agency – and assisted thousands of Maui County residents – through two major economic disruptions and disasters. When COVID-19 shutdown the economy in 2020, MEO was tabbed by Maui County to run the Hawaiʻi Emergency Laulima Partnership or HELP program, which was up and running days after approval to provide financial assistance to residents who were furloughed and laid off due to the shutdown. n nMEO began assisting Lahaina and Kula residents and businesses in the days following the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires with transportation, document restoration, translation, housing, utilities, clothing, vehicle, appliance and school supply assistance. The agency continues to support survivors of the wildfires with these programs: n nMaui Relief TANF Program for families and individuals directly impacted by the wildfires. Housing, vehicle, utility, appliance, clothing and school supply assistance available. For more information, go to https://www.meoinc.org/maui-relief-tanf-program-online-applications-open/. n nMaui Disaster Stabilization Grant, through Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama: Disaster Long-Term Recovery Group, which offers assistance to struggling wildfire survivors. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation is funding the program with Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama handling case management and MEO the payments. For more information, call a Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama case manager at (260) 271-9501 or go tohttps://www.mauilongtermrecovery.org/support. n nCounty, state and federal agencies and lawmakers often have turned to MEO and Cabebe for their ability to stand-up programs quickly to get assistance out and to tap their network of contacts and partnerships in the communities of need. n nCabebe runs one of Maui County’s largest nonprofits with more than 250 staff on the three main islands of the county as well as rural East Maui, a budget of more than $50 million that assisted 55,000 individuals in Fiscal Year 2024 – and certainly one of the most diverse program-wise. n nMEO’s more than 30 programs operate through five departments – each of which could be a nonprofit of its own: Transportation, which runs the Maui Bus Paratransit and Maui County specialized Human Services systems; Early Childhood Services (Head Start preschool and Kahi Kamaliʻi Infant Toddler Center); Community Services (rental, utility, employment, Spanish translation and acculturation assistance, and support of recently released inmates and kupuna); Business Development Center (business planning and financial literacy classes, microloans and credit counseling) and Youth Services (drugs, alcohol, smoking, bullying and suicide prevention for middle- and high-schoolers). n nOne of Cabebe’s lasting imprints on MEO is bringing the agency, established in 1965, into the modern era of human resources. She established hiring and workplace policies in line with governmental regulations and laws. n nThe Volunteer Award criteria includes serving as a role model who lives the values of Lōkahi, Kinaʻole and Kuleana; making a demonstrable difference by helping others in the community; demonstrating outstanding community leadership; contributing to the positive image of the Human Resources profession and being a SHRM member in good standing. n nCabebe has been actively involved in SHRM Hawaiʻi, serving on the SHRM Hawaiʻi Educational Foundation, including terms as Board President and other key leadership roles, for more than a decade. n nThe volunteer and other awards are meant to “celebrate HR professionals who go above and beyond to elevate the field of Human Resources,” SHRM Hawaiʻi said. n n“We at MEO are proud of Debbie, who is so deserving of this award,” said MEO Board President Carol Reimann. “She runs the agency with rigor to make sure MEO can meet its financial and grant commitments. Debbie does this while keeping the thousands in Maui County who need a hand in her heart and the focal point of her decision-making.” n nThe award was presented at the SHRM Hawaiʻi Conference & Expo on Oct. 17 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Waikiki. n nMEO Chief Administrative Officer Maggie Clark Batangan was one of four SHRM Hawaiʻi members awarded SHRM Hawaiʻi Educational Foundation Scholarships to attend the conference.