Barbara A. Hastings develops communication strategy and provides editorial direction for the H&P team. She oversees public outreach programs, crisis and issue management and participates in garnering public support for programs and issues. Hastings advises clients on handling sensitive matters as well as on energy, environmental and technical communication. She offers experience in publication management, design and content.

She has been a newspaper journalist and professional communicator for 40 years in Honolulu and on the Mainland. She has been a public relations professional for 20 years. She has received local and national recognition for her writing, campaign strategy and crisis management.

Hastings, who lives on Hawaii Island, provides neighbor island perspective to communication strategies. She participates in various civic and service organizations with the dual objectives of keeping an ear to the ground and advancing community wellbeing. She has served as president of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, sits on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island and of the Zonta Club of Hilo (part of Zonta International) and serves on the Mayor’s Healthcare Task Force and of Hospice of Hilo’s community capital campaign.

Hastings taught journalism courses for several years, and has continued to mentor aspiring communication professionals.

Hastings is married to retired journalist Mike Middlesworth, and has one daughter, Rhea Hastings Olsen, who is a social worker with Partners in Development in Honolulu.

Barbra Pleadwell is a communication strategist whose savvy spans word-of-mouth, print, radio, television, the web, environmental promotion, direct mail and events. She develops strategies for a broad range of industries, architects major media campaigns, and maneuvers organizations through issues and crises.

Pleadwell leads H&P’s new media strategy. She maintains the firm’s blog and YouTube channel and works with clients to expand their campaigns online. Her client campaigns and observations about new media have been the subject of media reports.

Pleadwell develops communication strategies for clients in a broad range of industries, architects major media campaigns, maneuvers organizations through crises, and oversees design or revamp of communication tools.

Pleadwell serves several nonprofit organizations pro bono. She is active with the Junior League of Honolulu (JLH) and has been instrumental in the high-profile HerStory women’s conference since its inception, bringing speakers such as Dr. Dot Richardson and Sally Ride to Honolulu audiences. Pleadwell received the JLH’s Active Award in 2001, and the Community Service Award in 2004.

Pleadwell is a past president for the Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) and vice chair for Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health. She is a board member for the YWCA of Oahu. Pleadwell is a member of International Association of Business Communicators and Public Relations Society of America.

Pleadwell graduated with honors in communication from Chaminade University of Honolulu, and holds a masters degree in American Studies from University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Hawaii Business featured Pleadwell in its March 2007 issue for a cover story titled, “25 People who will shape the next 25 years.” Among the first and youngest to be honored by Pacific Business News in its first Forty Under 40 Awards in 2000, she also was named Small Business Hawaii’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. She was recently among a select group of women leaders to be recognized by the Hawaii Women’s Business Center for contributions made to Hawaii’s community of businesswomen. She and partner Barbara Hastings received the Small Business Administration’s Chamption of Women in Business Award for Hawaii and Region IX in 2007.

Originally from Guam, she worked as a journalist for Guam Business News and the Pacific Daily News before her transition to public relations.

Pleadwell is married to Jayson Harper and has one daughter, Bella Grace.

Maile Thompson tracks and coordinates projects and programs for H&P and its clients, assures timely execution of tasks, and coordinates media and other reports.

Thompson was born and raised in Waimanalo, Hawaii. She graduated from Punahou School and received her B.S. in business administration from San Diego State University.

Ryan Ishibashi began his career in business at the Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce under the presidency of Barbara Hastings in 2008, and has worked in various administrative positions since. Ishibashi uses his knowledge and abilities to assist the H&P team on various aspects of accounts and projects.

Ishibashi was born and raised in Hilo on Hawai‘i Island. He is studying management at Hawai‘i Pacific University.

Ashley L. Kierkiewicz works in the Hilo office for Hastings & Pleadwell as an account coordinator. Her Hawai’i Island roots gives her a unique understanding of the state’s cultural diversity and her experience has taught her to interact with others in a humble and professional manner.

She is a vivacious and energetic young woman, who owes her confidence and effective communication skills to being involved in pageants, modeling and hosting her own radio show, Teen Talk with Ashley. She coordinated and hosted a Mayoral Forum for Hawai‘i Island teenagers and has organized dozens of drug and alcohol free teen dances.

Kierkiewicz interned for former Hawai’i County Mayor, Harry Kim, as well as the Department of Environmental Management Personnel Section. Most recently, she spent a semester interning for the office of Senator Daniel K. Akaka in Washington, D.C., honing her networking and communication skills while dealing with constituents, members of Congress, and their staff.

Kierkiewicz holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and is a member of the National Political Science Honor Society, Phi Sigma Alpha. She received the Most Outstanding Graduating Political Science Senior Award and participated in the 2009 Model United Nations Conference in New York City, in which the UH Hilo team placed 2nd overall amongst 300+ schools from around the world.

Rachel Seachris works on many aspects of projects and accounts, with an emphasis on creating and maintaining social media.  She has successfully coordinated and led multiple training sessions on social media technologies for clients to help manage their professional and personal online images.

Seachris was born in Washington State and lived in Germany for seven years prior to moving to Hawaii for college.  A recipient of the Oscar and Rosetta Fish Scholarship for Excellence, she is studying marketing, management and international business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Shidler College of Business and has a certificate in German language.