Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

DAVID Y. IGE
GOVERNOR

CATHERINE P. AWAKUNI COLÓN
DIRECTOR

TY Y. NOHARA
SECURITIES COMMISSIONER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2020

Hawaii LifeSmarts Program Receives Top National Honor

HONOLULU — The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) proudly announces that the National Consumers League named Theresa Kong Kee and Gloryana Akapo the 2020 LifeSmarts State Coordinators of the Year.

LifeSmarts State Coordinators implement the national consumer education program at the local level. State Coordinators promote the program, advise educators, and run state competitions live and online to advance consumer education for students in their states.  Kong Kee and Akapo are staff of the department’s Office of the Securities Commissioner.  Kong Kee, who is the Investor Education Specialist, has served as Hawaii LifeSmarts state coordinator for seven years. Akapo, who is the Securities Multi-Media Education Specialist, has served as co-coordinator for two years.

“Theresa and Gloryana are committed to the Hawaii LifeSmarts program and engaging our local students and educators,” said DCCA Director Catherine Awakuni Colón.  “They have built a successful program by bringing together staff, volunteers and community partners.  We are excited to see that their efforts and the Hawaii LifeSmarts program are being recognized at the national level.”

“Working together, Theresa and Gloryana run a very successful and competitive LifeSmarts program for students and educators in Hawaii,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “The Hawaii LifeSmarts program is robust, and student teams have done very well at the national level. Hawaii is also home to the second largest Junior Varsity (middle school) program in the nation. We are thrilled to honor them this year and congratulate them for a job very well done.”

LifeSmarts is a free, national educational program that teaches students critical life skills in five key areas: Personal Finance, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, the Environment, and Technology through online quizzes and in-person competitions.

LifeSmarts is run by the National Consumers League and sponsored locally by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of the Securities Commissioner and the Insurance Division in partnership with the Hawaii Credit Union League.

For more information on the Hawaii LifeSmarts program, please visit www.lifesmartshawaii.com, or contact assistant state coordinator Gloryana Akapo at (808) 586-2737 or [email protected].

About the National Consumers League (NCL)

Founded in 1899, the NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization.

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Media Contact:
Jayson Horiuchi
Communications Officer
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 586-7582