MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT
Salmah Y. Rizvi, Executive Director, 808-723-9794 Jana Light, Development Director, 808-223-2690
American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) of Hawaiʻi Welcomes Jana Light as Director of Development
HONOLULU, HI – The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i (“ACLU-HI”) is pleased to announce Jana Light as its new Development Director. Light comes to ACLU-HI with over 12 years of fundraising experience. Most recently, Light served as the Sr. Associate Director of Philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy (“TNC”) of Hawaiʻi and Palmyra, raising support for conservation initiatives such as protecting fresh water, bolstering the health and longevity of coral reefs, unlocking natural solutions to climate adaptation and resilience, empowering communities to lead protection of the natural areas central to their way of life, and fostering island and species resilience against the impacts of a changing climate. Prior to TNC, Light worked for University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and the Washington State University Foundation, raising funds for conservation, scholarships, research, community outreach and engagement, and a host of scientific efforts, securing gifts from individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
Light will engage in strategic efforts to increase ACLU-HI’s capacity to advance civil rights and civil liberties in Hawai‘i. ACLU-HI’s public servants do not accept government funds, because often times, ACLU-HI must take bold stances that oppose government oppression through litigation, legislation, and public education programming. Accordingly, ACLU-HI is funded primarily through private donations, and the Development Director provides visionary leadership to build strong relationships with donors to generate transformational gifts that support the organization’s strategic goals in the areas of criminal legal reform, police accountability, voting rights, free speech, privacy, immigrants’ rights, reproductive freedom, LGTBQI+ rights, and more.
As ACLU-HI’s Development Director, Ms. Light will oversee funding for both the ACLU of Hawaiʻi Foundation– 501(c)(3) – and the ACLU of Hawaiʻi - 501(c)(4). ACLU-HI Executive Director, Salmah Y. Rizvi, shared the following about Ms. Light:
We are fortunate to welcome Jana to the ACLU of Hawai‘i family. She is poised, professional, and polished in her work product and in her engagements with both internal staff and outside partners. I look forward to building the organization with Jana into the future in a way that is sustainable and responsive to the needs of the community. She brings not only a breadth of experience, but also beautiful humility, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to dive deep into the world of civil rights. She is a wonderful cultural fit to our organization that strives to cultivate values of hope, change, progress, and peace. Her keen sense of humor is a joy to have in the office, particularly amid the heavy work we must all carry.
The organization’s Board of Directors is also ecstatic to have Ms. Light serving in the role of Development Director and looks forward to working alongside her to build the organization’s capacity. Board Treasurer, Rick Schneider, remarked:
Jana Light is a delightful individual whose addition to the ACLU of Hawai‘i staff brings an extremely high level of knowledge, experience, and competence in the areas of fundraising and development. We are lucky to have her, and look forward to her being a great asset in securing the future of our organization.
Ms. Light too is delighted to be joining the ACLU of Hawai‘i and shared:
I’m thrilled to join the ACLU of Hawai‘i as the new Development Director, not only to be part of a mission so important to our democracy and to the people suffering from disenfranchisement and the ills and overreach of power, but to be able to meet and work with the people passionate about this work and who make it possible through their generosity and engagement.
Ms. Light was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. She 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 currently working on her PhD in philosophy, writing her dissertation on the risks of forgiveness as an aspirational project.
The mission of the Hawai‘i affiliate of the ACLU is to protect the civil liberties contained in the state and federal constitutions through litigation, legislation, and public education programs. The ACLU is funded primarily through private donations and offers its services at no cost to the public. The ACLU does not accept any government funds.