{"id":97581,"date":"2022-02-23T08:26:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T18:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?p=97581"},"modified":"2022-02-23T08:26:53","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T18:26:53","slug":"suzanne-vares-lum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/suzanne-vares-lum\/","title":{"rendered":"First And Foremost"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

More than just being the first woman and Native Hawaiian ever appointed as president of East-West Center, Suzanne Vares-Lum is the right leader at a time when building relationships is key in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Don\u2019t listen to the barking dogs.\u201d That\u2019s a piece of advice Suzanne Vares-Lum received when she was seated at an all-female round-table some time ago. Said by a Mongolian parliamentarian, the story went on to explain how families in the East Asia country must be fairly nomadic given the region\u2019s harsh weather patterns, and when traveling from place to place, they often encounter hungry and vicious canines. If they were to stop for every single one, they would never reach their destination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat she was really saying to the group of women was that if you listen to the chatter that says you can\u2019t \u2014 or even your own internal voice that\u2019s saying you can\u2019t \u2014 you won\u2019t get to where you\u2019re going,\u201d says Vares-Lum. \u201cYou have to listen to the more positive voices, not the barking dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Suzanne Vares-Lum with her late father, Sgt. 1st Class Adelino Conrad Vares, who inspired her to join the military. PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE VARES-LUM<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

These words of wisdom have stuck with the Wahiaw\u0101-born Vares-Lum as she has surpassed what was once deemed far-fetched or even impossible.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s no stranger to being the only woman in the room, but with her courage, determination and altruism at the forefront of everything she does, she\u2019s been named the \u201cfirst\u201d of a remarkably long list of prestigious titles over her 34-year career. To name just a few, she was the first Native Hawaiian female to become a U.S. Army general and, most recently, she\u2019s the first woman and Native Hawaiian appointed president of East-West Center.<\/p>\n

As she sits in her new office that overlooks the lush grounds of University of Hawai\u2018i at M\u0101noa, Vares-Lum reflects on a time when she was a student walking these same sidewalks. It\u2019s the place where she met her husband, Courtney \u2014 they share two daughters now \u2014 and where she earned degrees in journalism and education.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Spending time with husband Courtney and daughters Diana and Connie at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE VARES-LUM<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

While a career in writing piqued her interest for a period of time \u2014 she was on the Ka Leo O Hawai\u2018i <\/em>staff after all \u2014 Vares-Lum decided to follow in her father\u2019s mighty and brave footsteps and pursue a life of service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what really impressed me was the World War II generation, those who were willing to serve our country and stand up to protect and preserve our interests, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice,\u201d says Vares-Lum. \u201cThe courage to support one another has always impacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She joined the Army Reserves, UH\u2019s ROTC program and later commissioned as a second lieutenant, entering active duty as a military intelligence officer. Her first of many overseas assignments was to Germany during the Cold War.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Despite East-West Center\u2019s male-dominated history, its newest president, Suzanne Vares-Lum, is quite comfortable being the first woman to lead the institution forward.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was East and West Germany when I was there and\u2026 my first assignment was as a fire support intelligence officer for the 3rd Infantry Division Artillery unit. There were very few females back then,\u201d she explains. \u201cIn the \u201980s-\u201990s, there were many restrictions on women in terms of what kind of roles we could take. I worked as one of the few female officers in that unit, but it taught me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vares-Lum continued to advance \u2014 and by doing so, break barriers \u2014 and eventually worked her way into leadership positions, never paying much attention to the barking dogs. She credits much of her success to the bridges she built along the way, perhaps foreshadowing the duties she would undertake decades later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and then-lieutenant colonel gather for a photo opportunity during a helicopter dedication ceremony for Hawai\u2018i National Guard. PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE VARES-LUM<\/strong>
<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI had to work through understanding that I had something to contribute,\u201d she says. \u201cI built a network of friends, many of them male, that encouraged me. I had mentors that I sought out who were willing to see beyond the exterior or how I was born. They were able to see that I had something to offer and to help better the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think building relationships is key, which really brings me back to the (East-West) Center, right? By building relationships, you can have the courage to overcome what people think and the boxes that people want to put you in, or even cultural boxes that we want to put people in throughout the region,\u201d she continues. \u201cIf we understand more, then maybe we\u2019ll think of the possibilities rather than the limitations. I feel like having those relationships with amazing people that I\u2019ve got to work with over the years helped me to realize that I don\u2019t need to limit myself in these boxes.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the years following, she came back to her island home to join the Hawai\u2018i National Guard, where she was a part of the 29th Infantry Brigade. In 2004, the unit was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom 3 \u2014 the first time it was called upon for combat since Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Thinking back on her time in the Middle East, Vares-Lum says, \u201cIn terms of a number, there were dozens of attacks a day across Iraq, and at least four to five times a week, we had indirect fire from rockets to Balad because we really didn\u2019t have a very good strategy. As a result of that, the 29th Infantry Brigade lost 18 in that whole year of deployment. One was one of my own soldiers, Sgt. Deyson Cariaga. He was not even 21.\u201d<\/p>\n

By witnessing the harrowing ramifications of warfare firsthand, Vares-Lum offers a perspective to the center that it hasn\u2019t quite seen before.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody asked me, being the president of East-West Center \u2014 a place where it is neutral ground to have dialogues about issues that relate to the region \u2014 if having a military officer in this position seems counterintuitive. But, really, if we think about it, a military officer who has seen the consequences and cost of war would say, just as I would say, that we should do everything in our power to prevent using the element of national power in the military, and ensure that we\u2019ve done all things possible \u2014 whether it\u2019s dialogue, education or exchange \u2014 to ensure that we have that understanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1960, this center was born out of this era of post-World War II \u2014 which had significant consequences \u2014 Korean War and a buildup into the Vietnam War for the United States. It really was born out of this idea that the United States, Asia and the Pacific needed to understand one another more, and we could do this if there were more people-to-people relationships. If more people understood one another\u2019s nations, cultures and how to exchange, we could solve conflicts, historical grievances, challenges or crises together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last segment of her military career, Vares-Lum moved on to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, where she cultivated key relationships locally, inAsia and what she calls \u201cthe blue continent\u201d or the Pacific, as well as spoke on key issues including leadership and mentorship, and women, peace and security. Following her retirement last June, she assumed her position at East-West Center in January.<\/p>\n

At the inaugural ceremony, Vares-Lum received a lauhala mat that symbolizes \u201cresponsibility for a community that\u2019s woven together by many strands, as well as a place where people can sit together to build a better world.\u201d The event\u2019s theme, meanwhile, was ka ulana \u2018ana i ka piko (in weaving, you begin at the center).<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as the weaver brings together many fibrous strands and turns them into something beautiful, strong and valuable, the East-West Center is about bringing diverse people and perspectives together, weaving together a community of our students, participants and center staff,\u201d notes Vares-Lum. \u201cIn turn, these alumni are then woven into a greater community across the Indo-Pacific region, forging stronger bonds across cultures, nationalities and perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the core of her mission, Vares-Lum shared in her opening speech that she hopes to collectively accomplish combating the effects of the pandemic and climate change; support effective governance, public accountability and human rights; and create new knowledge and foster new ideas to promote freedom, prosperity, peace and dignity.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a daughter of this region, I felt like I could connect very well with our regional brothers and sisters, you could say,\u201d says the \u2018Aiea High School graduate. \u201cWhen this opportunity came up, I just loved the idea of building bridges and making connections so we can help develop future leaders and relationships that will help us to address the critical issues of the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff members of East-West Center beam with nothing shy of admiration for Vares-Lum, who\u2019s known by most as Suzy, an2d explain how she\u2019s \u201chit the ground running.\u201d And when all has been said and done, there\u2019s no doubt the feats Vares-Lum will carry out are going to be louder than any noise the barking dogs can muster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than just being the first woman and Native Hawaiian ever appointed as president of East-West Center, Suzanne Vares-Lum is..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":97587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst And Foremost - MidWeek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/suzanne-vares-lum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First And Foremost - MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than just being the first woman and Native Hawaiian ever appointed as president of East-West Center, Suzanne Vares-Lum is..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/suzanne-vares-lum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-23T18:26:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-23T18:26:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/02\/mw-cover-online-3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"First And Foremost\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-23T18:26:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-23T18:26:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1592,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/mw-cover-online-3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"MW Cover Story\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/suzanne-vares-lum\\\/\",\"name\":\"First And Foremost - 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