Tina Andrade, then Catholic Charities Hawaii’s chief operating officer, helps people impacted by wildfire at the Family Assistance Center in Kahului a month after fires destroyed Lahaina and tore through Upcountry Maui. (Courtesy Catholic Charities Hawaii / 2023)
By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
With “a mix of emotion and a profound sense of responsibility,” Tina Andrade has taken the reins as president and CEO of Catholic Charities Hawaii.
Andrade’s ties to CCH run deep — in fact, her first job was working as a receptionist for Catholic Charities Hawaii, then called Catholic Social Service. She moved on to work in the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office for Social Ministry and then at parishes and schools across Hawaii; in 2003, she completed her “full-circle journey” and returned to CCH as its Catholic identity and mission director.
“Leading CCH feels somewhat natural due to my long history with the agency, but I consider it a sacred mission that I approach with great humility,” Andrade told the Hawaii Catholic Herald shortly after formally taking over leadership from Rob Van Tassell, who retired from his post after five years.
(Bishop Larry Silva blessed Andrade in her new position at the annual Red Mass Jan. 14 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. Denise Iseri-Matsubara, the new executive director of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp., also received a blessing.)
Andrade — the first female layperson and first Native Hawaiian to lead the organization — said her commitment to faith and the community is inspired by former CCH leaders Rollie Smith and Jerry Rauckhorst, as well as the Maryknoll Sisters: “I’ve always aspired to serve where the spirit leads.”
According to the Catholic Charities Hawaii website, Andrade also found inspiration in her upbringing in a single-parent household where her mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. Her experience growing up has helped her understand the financial challenges that families in Hawaii face.
Andrade was also named president and CEO of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp., an independent nonprofit organization that is a subsidiary of Catholic Charities Hawaii. CCHDC works to help address Hawaii’s housing crisis by acquiring, developing and managing affordable housing across the state.
Andrade has been critical to CCH’s efforts to promote and secure affordable and rental housing. Before becoming president and CEO, she oversaw the distribution of more than $150 million in pandemic-era federal rental assistance; she also helped the agency secure hundreds of millions of dollars to expand affordable housing statewide.
When devastating wildfires struck Maui in 2023, Andrade told the Herald that CCH’s ability to respond quickly and extend resources and support to impacted families reinforced the strength of the agency’s mission.
That mission, according to CCH’s website, is to serve everyone in Hawaii regardless of faith or culture. As a “community of hope that promotes the dignity of each person by helping others empower themselves,” CCH provides a wide range of programs and social services as well as robust social justice advocacy.
Andrade said that “advocacy is central to our mission.”
“By sharing insights from the people we serve, we help shape policies and initiatives that lead to better outcomes for the broader community,” she said.
The plight of Maui wildfire survivors hit close to home for Andrade, who lived on the island for years raising her family. She returned to Maui after the Aug. 8, 2023, disaster, helping survivors at Catholic Charities Hawaii’s support outpost in Kahului.
“Recent collaborations during the pandemic and Maui wildfires have introduced us to new partners to scale our impact,” she said. New collaborations and stronger partnerships with parishes, business and other organizations are aimed at helping CCH expand its reach — while continuing to provide vital services, it also must adapt as other needs emerge.
Catholic Charities Hawaii also works with city and state entities to tackle social and economic challenges and provide assistance to those who need it, Andrade said.
According to the CCH website, Andrade plans to anchor her tenure on the notion of “lokahi” — the Hawaiian word for unity, agreement and harmony.
“In times of crisis, as has taken place these recent years, we simply need to be there for one another,” Andrade said in a statement on the CCH website. “The only way we’re going to resolve the social issues that challenge our society is if we all work together on the problems at hand.”
