Remembering
Barbra An Pleadwell
H&P grieves the passing of Barbra Pleadwell
With unbelievable sadness we report that Barbra An Pleadwell,
partner of Hastings & Pleadwell, has passed away.
Barbra had been grappling with health issues for some time and
lost the battle Monday, March 22, 2021. She was 50 years old.
She had been a force in our community, and a strong women's
advocate, dedicated to the YWCA, the Organization of Women
Leaders and the Junior League of Honolulu (JLH). With JLH, she
helped launch the HerStory conference, then worked with Hawaii
Business Magazine to create Wahine Forum, a women’s business
conference.
She was an adept communication strategist with more than
26 years of experience. She architected information campaigns
and maneuvered organizations through issues and crises.
Pleadwell led information and education campaigns locally, regionally and nationally. Her work has been recognized for significant, measured effectiveness. In 2009, she led a national campaign using social media to reach young adults for National Cyber Security Alliance and led efforts to launch the nonprofit’s social media channels. In 2011, working with online brands such as Facebook, VISA, Google and McAfee, she helped craft a strategy to establish cohesive and unified messages about online safety. The “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign continues to be used nationwide, and now, internationally.
Before founding H&P, she worked for the Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Department of Health as a strategist and media spokesperson.
With H&P, Pleadwell led communication for seven years to promote smoke-free places in Hawaii for the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii and to defend the law. She architected the Coalition’s rebranding and helped it reach unlikely partners, from bars to artists’ lairs, to reach people about smoke-free environments. She also led communication strategy for Sutter Health Pacific Kāhi Mōhala, Hawaii’s only free-standing psychiatric hospital, where she had previously been board chair.
Among the first professionals profiled in Hawaii Business’ “Twenty for the Next 20,” she was also in the first group honored by Pacific Business News’ “Forty Under 40.” She and partner Barbara Hastings received the Small Business Administration's Women in Business Champion Award for Hawaii and Region IX in 2007. In 2011, she received OWL's Leader of the Year award.
Pleadwell grew up on Guam, the third generation of her family to live in the U.S. Territory. She came to Honolulu for higher education and stayed. She earned degrees with Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of Hawaii at Manoa.
She and Jayson Harper were raising two daughters, Bella Grace Harper and Amelia Levy.
Each of us at H&P send our love to her family and many friends at this sad time.
Sadly,
Barbara A. Hastings
Memorial Funds Set to Honor Barbra Pleadwell
To honor the memory of our founding partner,
Barbra An Pleadwell, Hastings & Pleadwell, LLC (H&P),
has established two funds in her name—a multi-year
scholarship fund for college-bound women through
the Zonta Club of Hilo and a library fund for YWCA
O‘ahu’s Fernhurst facility which supports women
transitioning from prison.
Barbra Pleadwell died March 22, 2021; she was 50.
The multi-year scholarship will benefit college-bound girls or women on Oahu and Hawaii Island. The scholarship will give preference to applicants focused on women’s studies or communication.
The YWCA’s Fernhurst provides transitional housing for women impacted by the criminal justice system. The library’s aim will be to provide them with carefully chosen books to help their self-growth and build knowledge of current affairs. Barbra Pleadwell, a former chair of the YWCA board and dedicated volunteer, was a staunch advocate for the women at Fernhurst.
To contribute to the funds:
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Barbra An Pleadwell Scholarship Fund donations can be made through Zonta Club of Hilo website at https://www.zontahilo.org/. Under the “Donate” button, please note the donation is in memory of Barbra Pleadwell.
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Barbra An Pleadwell Fernhurst library fund, YWCA O‘ahu donations can be made at https://www.ywcaoahu.org/. Please note it is for Fernhurst library.
Alternately, checks payable to the Zonta Club of Hilo or YWCA O‘ahu can be sent to Hastings & Pleadwell, 2316C Ainakahele Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720.
“Barbra was a strong women's advocate, dedicated to mentoring young women and supporting women looking for a second chance,” said her partner, Barbara Hastings. “the scholarship and library funds allow us to honor her memory in years to come by supporting the causes she believed in.”
Pleadwell supported the YWCA, the Organization of Women Leaders and the Junior League of Honolulu (JLH). With JLH, she helped launch the HerStory conference, then worked with Hawaii Business Magazine to create Wahine Forum, a women’s business conference.
Among the first professionals profiled in Hawaii Business’ “Twenty for the Next 20,” she was also in the first group honored by Pacific Business News’ “Forty Under 40.” She and partner Barbara Hastings received the Small Business Administration's Women in Business Champion Award for Hawaii and Region IX in 2007. In 2011, Pleadwell received OWL's Leader of the Year award.
Pleadwell grew up on Guam, the third generation of her family to live in the U.S. Territory. She came to Honolulu for higher education and stayed. She earned degrees with Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of Hawaii at Manoa. She leaves behind her spouse Jayson Harper, and two daughters, Bella Grace Harper and Amelia Levy; her parents, Jeff Pleadwell and Nancy Jones, a sister, brother and several nieces and nephews.
ABOUT ZONTA: The Zonta Club of Hilo is a member of Zonta International, a leading global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. Founded in 1950, the Zonta Club of Hilo envisions our island community as a place where women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential.
ABOUT YWCA: YWCA O‘ahu is part of the greater YWCA network nationwide, whose mission is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Since 1900, YWCA O‘ahu has been a community resource for women and their families. Its programs create opportunity, advocate for equity and encourage diversity in our society.
