Jana Light is the Development Director at the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, where she works to grow and steward donor support for the affiliate’s work defending people’s civil rights and civil liberties through litigation, lobbying, public education, and other forms of community advocacy.
Jana comes to the ACLU of Hawai’i with over 12 years of fundraising experience. Before joining the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, she was Sr. Associate Director of Philanthropy with The Nature Conservancy Hawaiʻi and Palmyra where she raised support for climate change mitigation, fresh water and coral reef protection, and community engagement. She has raised millions of dollars over her career from individual, corporate, and foundation donors, and loves helping people use their wealth to make an impact in the causes and communities important to them.
Jana has a B.A. in English Literature from Willamette University, an M.A. in English Literature from Boise State University, and an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she has won several departmental awards for her work. She is working on her PhD in philosophy, writing a dissertation on the risky ethical dimensions of forgiveness as an aspirational project. Prior to entering the world of fundraising, Jana taught English 101 at the university level, was a videographer for a local news station in Idaho, worked for a private investment firm, and taught middle school English and Math.
In her free time, Jana enjoys staying active as a member of her local gym, playing piano, and exploring the beautiful outdoors of Hawaiʻi.