Founding the Ho'omau Foundation | Featuring JoNelle Sood

Fremont is part of Silicon Valley, the second largest city in Alameda county and the fourth largest in the Bay Area, covering 92 square miles with more than 230,000 residents. Fremont Focus, now hosted by lifelong Fremont resident and former city council member David Bonacoursi, will delve behind the headlines to showcase our civic, artistic, educational, nonprofit, faith based and business community leaders in Fremont and the surrounding cities of Newark and Union City to explore matters of local interest. Today we're going to be introducing and meeting JoNelle Sood. JoNelle is the founder of Ho'omau Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to supporting Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students in higher education. Through scholarships, mentorships and professional networking, the foundation helps students achieve academic excellence while staying grounded in their cultural heritage. JoNelle is also a human resources leader. She has an organization now called Tripod Networking which she has also founded, but she brings to it over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, HR strategy and operations. JoNelle specializes in designing and implementing effective HR processes and policies that attract, retain and empower top talent while cultivating strong, inclusive workplace cultures that drive business success. Welcome JoNelle, how are you?

I'm fine, thank you. Thanks for having me.

Absolutely. And I want to first talk about your wonderful foundation. I've seen it up close at your fundraisers at Mossimo's, but tell us about Ho'omau Foundation. But before you do, what does the word Ho'omau mean?

Ho'omau means to persevere, to perpetuate.

And.

I started Ho'omau Foundation as a way to honor my dad, Kamuela Lee Jr. And to fulfill a long time desire to give back to my community.

Now you grew up in San Leandro, right?

I did.

And your father was a florist, wasn't he?

He was. So we started that when I was a pre teen. I think I might have been 11 or 12 when he started the flower shop. Which meant we all started the flower shop. So my brother, my mom and I, yeah, we worked in the flower shop. We started in the basement of our house and eventually moved over into a store in Fremont. I'm sorry, in Hayward.

In Hayward. So where does your dad come stateside from Hawaii?

He was probably 16, 17 years old. 17, 18. So he left. He was previously married and had a daughter. And so they came, they came to California. So he followed. And for better opportunities there was. He was not really getting a lot of job opportunities in Hawaii.

And I remember you telling me that his flower shop was not just simply a place where people bought flowers. But I think he brought some of the Aloha spirit to the store, didn't he?

Absolutely.

Want to describe that. The kind of a community. You know, just a community resource. Right? Yeah.

So there's a lot of Polynesians and. Or people that have a fondness for Hawaii in the Bay Area and. Or I would say in Hayward area. And they knew about them. And so a lot of folks, I hear stories that they would come in and buy flowers from him or buy leis from him. A lot of the times I was making the lei, and he was just a great guy. He knew everybody in the community would give back to the local community. I remember, you know, he would. He had a couple of certificates from the city of Hayward for donating flowers to services and other. For other needs as well. So he. He just knew a lot of people in the. In the area. So everything he did was with Aloha, just meeting people, talking to people, pouring that into his flower creations. So, yeah, it was just. He was. It was a lot of fun.

So now tell me about your inspiration. You mentioned your father, and maybe that was your inspiration, but what inspired you to start the Ho'omau Foundation?

Well, I think. Well, as Native Hawaiian and growing up here in the Bay Area, I really didn't. I always felt disconnected, and I didn't know why. And I always, you know, it's kind of like a sense of belonging and, you know, not seeing a lot of people in certain. That represent yourself in certain roles or careers in the community that followed me through my college and professional career. So I would say I always wanted to give back. And for a long time, I didn't know how or what I had to offer. I think it all started to shape up for me when my dad unexpectedly passed away in 2018. He was off to a Giants baseball game and doing what he loved, going to local sports, and he collapsed, and they couldn't revive him, and that was that. So we were all very. It rocked my world. It rocked, you know, my brother, my sister, my mom, our whole family. It just really shook us. But. But it really got me thinking, you know, how am I spending my time on this earth? What am I doing with my dash? I've always wanted to give back to my community. How am I? What am I doing?

What am I doing with my dash?

What am I doing with my dash? None of us thought my dad was gonna go like that. He didn't think he was gonna go like that. Or maybe he did, I don't know. But just time is passing and what am I doing so through that mourning process. That's really what I really. When I started to draw on, okay, well, what do I have to offer? And through that, just decided it was education, perpetuation of culture, and professional networking. And those are the three pillars of Ho'omau Foundation.

What was your understanding of. Although obviously your father was from Hawaii, but what was your understanding or connection to the cultural heritage that he has and you have as a Hawaiian American? How did you develop that before you founded the foundation?

We always grew up in it. You know, he. We. We knew the culture, but it wasn't surrounding us. So I think there's a little bit of a difference when, you know, we weren't living in Hawaii around the culture, but we had some family that we would. That were Hawaiian and. And lived here, that we would visit. He taught us the culture. My aunts. I have aunts that taught us the culture as well, the language. I danced hula when I was younger, on and off, but I primarily played soccer as a. A kid, so we had a little bit of that. I think we had a lot of it. We always, you know, listen to music and, you know, point out words and translate words and that sort of thing. So there was. And it's. I think. I don't know, it's just a cultural thing. Food we ate, music. We'd always go to events. There's was a big event. I think it still happens, but it used to be at the Hayward Centennial Hall. We'd go to concerts, we go to puka in the sky. There'd always be food, music, dancing. So we were always kind of immersed in it. But I think now, as I'm getting older, it's something that I'm doing more intentionally.

And you've had a wonderful connection with your daughter doing hula dancing.

Yeah.

Tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah. So we dance. I had my son in. In hula for a little while. Then he. Then it went on to baseball. He spent most of his time in baseball. I waited. My daughter's very shy, and I always wanted to dance and get her into dancing, but she was just not ready for it. Then she approached me when she got a little older and was like, why aren't we dancing? And I was like, because I'm waiting on you. And so she was ready. So we've been dancing and branched off, and she's competed, I've competed, and she's.

And you've gone to Hawaii to compete?

Not to compete, but we have gone to Hawaii with our halau. But not to compete. We have gone to go watch the competition. Yeah. Which was amazing. That's the Hula Olympics. So it was. It was amazing to be there. That was. We went. We saw the one in 23, which was their 60th year anniversary, and the very first one after Covid, kind of like when they brought people back from COVID So there's a lot of energy.

How long have you been in Fremont? Because this is Fremont Focus now, and we focus on talented people, which we are blessed to have many in our city. So. So how long have you been in our city?

Ever since I've been married, which is 22 years.

Oh, my.

Yeah.

And so your kids have gone to school locally.

That's right.

Right.

That's right.

In fact, these. These community connections, I found out that our content producer here, Jonathan, worked at Hops and Beans, where we hang out a lot. And I actually met your son before I ever met you.

That's right. That's right.

Ian interned. Ian interned for me as a. As administrative secretary during the COVID era.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

And so the way we. Then we. We were at a gala together. I know that.

Yep. I think he saw a picture. He's like, how did you know him? I was like, now I'm at a fundraising event.

That was great. And her son's very tall, by the way. I'm. I should be talking to you. I'm talking to the content producer, a third person. Your son is very tall.

He is very tall.

Yes.

We have tall people in our family.

So, going back to the Ho'omau Foundation, can you share a story about one of your scholarship recipients that really captures the heart of what your foundation is about?

Yes. I would like to say all of them are amazing. All of our recipients are amazing. Even our applicants. They're all amazing. They're all perpetuating the culture. They're all giving back to their community. And many of them are already in their fields of study, like their field of interest. They're already doing that. In highlighting one specific recipient that comes to mind. Her name is Frances. She's Tongan. She was born and raised in Spokane, Washington.

And.

In high school, during. I think when she was in high school, that was a pandemic time. She really got curious about her culture and wanted to learn as much as she could. She was learning her Tongan language via Zoom. She was just trying to learn as much of her culture as she could by reading, by connecting with people on, I think, TikTok and Instagram. So she was Kind of learning that way. I want to say her and her brother started the first Polynesian club at her high school. And so she's learning traditional dance. She's very. To me, it's very sweet and endearing and inspiring because she's not surrounded by our culture. She's going out and seeking it, and there's something in her that wants to learn. And so she's doing just that. And I think that's very special.

Beyond the scholarships, your foundation offers mentorship and professional networking, how do these elements help your students succeed long term?

Yeah, well, I think mentorship and networking are a priceless commodity. I absolutely feel these are game changers sometimes. I think if I had a mentor in high school or in college, I might have completed my degree in four years versus six, because I did a lot of start, stop, start, stop. And every job I've had, except for one, was through my network, somehow through some kind of door opened. And so. And also I'm in recruiting. And so from a professional standpoint, you know, I'm putting candidates in the pipeline, and then also there's referrals in the pipeline. And so I'm experiencing it, you know, both directly, you know, myself and through. Through work, that the network really helps open doors. And I think that's. It's a very powerful, powerful tool and vehicle. We just had our very first fundraising gala in Honolulu last month. We got a lot of press, and so we were on a couple TV shows where I was able to bring a few of our recipients. And one recipient talked about through the network, he received an internship, so they're experiencing it. And at our gala, we had another recipient speak to our guests who recently graduated. And she talked about the mentorship being valuable to her because she had somebody she was able to build a connection with and trust that was outside her family unit. She gave us a little bit too much credit here when she said this, but. But I think it's sweet that she thought of us, but she said I graduated because of their mentorship, because of Ho'omau Foundation. So I think it's just the support. So it's great to hear the students talk about the value that they see in the mentorship and network. So what we're hoping happens is happening, and it's good to hear it from them directly.

Well, I went to your. I've been to two of your galas, but the one most recently at Massimo's, I was impressed because you had a videotape presentation from the governor of Hawaii. So you've really made some deep and important connections in Hawaii. And you say Hawaii, and I want to honor that. But I also had two students that were at my table that were scholarship recipients. One went to Cal, one went to Stanford. Right. And your organization is so uplifting and really promoting their talents that you destroyed the rivalry entirely. They got along too well for being from Stanford and Cala. But, you know, that's. You're undermining that rivalry there.

I made them sit together and they're actually classmates. They knew each other. I don't think they went to the same high school, but they knew of each other. So they knew each other and they knew they were both going to different high schools. So they were friends long before that.

It was really sweet. All right, so you've also hosted 5Ks. Oh, so where have you had the 5Ks?

So our 5Ks are virtual and they're free to join and sign up. I think we've had, I think our last couple 5Ks, we've had people from four to five different countries. So we use it as a vehicle to promote Ho'omau Foundation and that our scholarship is open to let as many native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders know that we're a resource for them. They can apply. So we like to use that as a way to just, number one, to get people together. We started it in 2021 during the pandemic. So it was a safe way for everyone to kind of gather in their own space and how they want to and promote who we are and that our application is open. More than 50% of Native Hawaiians now live on the continental U.S. our scholarship is hosted on a platform called Scholars App, and that's in 100% of the high schools in Hawaii. In the state of Hawaii, it's only in about 20% of the schools on the continental US so social media outreach is a way we can try to promote and let students on the continental know about us. Excellent.

What challenges have you faced? We're going to talk a little bit more about your consulting work. Okay, but what challenges have you faced leading a nonprofit while balancing your corporate career? And what keeps you motivated to continue leading the nonprofit?

My biggest challenge is balance and time. So what I mean by that is, you know, balancing work, life and then Ho'omau Foundation. These are my three umbrellas, my three buckets. I don't have enough time to do it all, but it's finding the right balance, the right cadence, and I think all of that right When I think of my. My career, you know, I'M doing business development, I'm supporting clients, I'm doing, getting the work done. I'm thinking of strategies for them in life. You know, I dance, I love to cook, so I meal prep, you know, just doing regular life things, keeping the house clean and then Ho'omau Foundation, finding venues, you know, working with our board members, staying in touch with recipients, trying to fundraise, that sort of thing. So it's just, it's a fine balance. But I think through all of that, that's where I get my energy.

It feeds off one another.

Yes. And it's all interconnected. That's the thing about it, is that everything that I'm doing, there's a, it's all interconnected. The networking, the meeting with people, it's just everything I love to do. So I think it's, it just kind of, I like solving problems and so it's all working together.

Tell us about Tripod Networking and your role as its president.

So we are a human resources consulting service firm. We help companies hire top talent, whether that's for full time or payrolling temporary workers. We provide strategic operations support, recruiting operations, policies, that sort of thing, as well as helping scout for office space for, for, for their company. So we're basically your embedded HR arm that helps with the company. We can, we're scalable, we're strategic, we have customizable pricing fit. You can use all of our services, part of our services, you know, one time, multiple times. So we grow with them as long as they, you know, need the support. And when they're ready to have a full time HR team, we, we back out.

Because when I hear about hr, I think in terms of how you treat employees, documenting disciplinary actions, you know, policy manuals for companies, are those things that you do as well?

That's right, yeah.

Because I have done some employment law as an attorney. And one of the big traps for employers is the attempt, for example, to treat employees as independent contractors. And the default really in California, and it's gotten stronger over the years, is that they are employees and you have to treat them as employees. And so what happens is, well, we hear everything, it's at will. Which means that, you know, you can basically terminate an employee for any reason at all except for these various categories based on race, you know, ethnicity, age, or public policy. If they are a whistleblower, there's a whole bunch of exceptions, but employers generally stay clear of that. My experience, particularly in the Bay Area. But if they, what they, they goof up on is treating the employees as an independent Contractor, then suddenly they've not given the meal time or overtime or lunch breaks. Is that your experience as well?

Yes. Yep, that's my experience. And we just provided some advice, counsel, if you will, to a startup company that's starting out and giving them guidance on the right way to. The right way, the right way to work with individuals and classify them. Because it's how you work with them. It's not just how you classify them, it's how you work with them as well.

Because I could see the situation where somebody has a great startup idea, they don't get the angel investment that they hope for and silly in the back end when they're laying people off, they get hit with all these employment suits. And one of the things that happens in California is that the employers personally can be liable for some discriminatory or improper conduct. So the fact that the company surrounding them is collapsing doesn't necessarily get them off the hook.

That's right.

Yeah, that's right. I think. Yeah. Early intervention, early education, with people that have, you know, they're looking at million dollar ventures or multimillion dollar ventures that they get tripped up on the basic foundation blocks that you provide an important service.

And a lot of them don't think about it because it's, it's personnel, it's, it's, it's kind of a peripheral, you know, thing that they have to deal with but don't want to deal with. They're focused on innovation, customers, do I have a product? Do I have an. And they're not thinking of those. Compliance, legality matters when it comes to their employees or their workforce, I should say so. That's why I think the term might even be more fractional hr. So we're there as a consultant to help them get through that. A lot of times you're seeing a lot of founders and CEOs try to wear those HR hats to keep it in house. Because I said, yeah, like, you do this and I'll do this and you know, we'll piecemeal it and you know, for certain things, that is fine. But you know, for employees and, you know, bringing them on and, you know, just from a compliance standpoint, you probably want to have a little bit more experience around you.

And what is your website? We're going to have show notes. What's your website for your consulting firm?

It's tripodnetworking.com Very nice.

And I want to go back to your foundation and as we will talk a little bit about your show notes that we're going to be sharing. But as we are concluding it, I want listeners to know how they can support Ho'omau Foundation. How can they get involved or contribute?

Perfect. There's so many ways. We are on social media platforms so you can follow us there. We're on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. We have a YouTube channel. Join our newsletter to stay connected where we will be promoting event dates and application dates and just giving you a basic update of what's going on with our recipients. You can donate to our organization, you can become a sponsor, whether that's a one time sponsor for an event such as our 5k or our galas, or we can create a sponsor partnership with us. We'd also love to see you at the gala. We just locked in our 2026 gala here in Fremont October 2nd.

Do you have a venue that you can share?

We have a venue. We just signed the contract. It's actually with the Doubletree by Hilton. So I guess technically it's Newark, California, but it's.

This is the Tri Cities podcast right across the street. You can see about there. Yes.

So we just signed it. Tickets aren't on sale yet because it's a little too early and we're finalizing.

I can vouch those are fun events. You've got great entertainment with the hula dancers and it's, you know, you have it had people sing wonderful. And then there's dancing afterwards. I guess you can have more of a dance floor this time around, right?

Yeah, we'll have more of a dance floor. So we always like to close with, with the dance party and you know, enjoy ourselves.

So even if you have no other connection but you're looking for something to do in October 2, 2026, you got a party to go to.

It's a party. It's definitely a party. If you're an employer or an organization looking for talented individuals, we have students in fields, you know, computer science, AI, medicine, entrepreneurship. We'd love to build a talent pipeline with you for native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. So those are.

And I forgot to ask. It's a simple question, but I don't want to skip it. How do you define Pacific Islanders? Everybody knows what Hawaii is, but what is a Pacific Islander? Tongan is certainly one of them. Tahiti, I would imagine.

Pacific Islanders, we use the US Census. That was the easiest way for us to define Pacific Islanders. So we use the, the Triangle.

Okay.

Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia.

Very good. And so we're going to be. We post this on YouTube and Spotify. And I guess we're on Amazon, too. I didn't know that. Spotify. And we're going to have your show notes as links, and we've talked about a few of them. You've got the YouTube channel. You have some videos of some of the, what, some fundraising galas that you've had in the past, right?

Yep. We have our fundraising gala videos up there. We have our 5k thank you videos up there. We have thank you videos from our recipients up there. We have community. We do a lot of community outreach. And so those videos are out there as well.

So as we wrap this up, JoNelle, it's been absolutely delightful, as always, to talk with you. What legacy do you hope to leave, both through your professional work and through the foundation?

As a native Hawaiian, we believe we're here because of the seven generations before us. So our kupuna, our kupuna ma. And what we do now is for the seven generations ahead of us. And so it's important for me to carry on our culture, our stories, and our values. My plan is to continue to bring my whole self to the roles that I'm in. I used to struggle with my identity in the workforce, and I wanted to look like everyone. I wanted to fit in. I didn't realize until my late 30s that my diversity, my culture, my perspective was my superpower. So I want to. I hope to, through my values and culture, to continue to do what I do in the best interest of those that I'm serving, whether that's my client, the recipients, my family, the donors, and the sponsors who believe in us, to donate to us, that our mission. You know, we're fulfilling our mission. So that's the legacy that I hope we leave behind, as well as honoring my dad.

And there's no better way than honoring your dad than what you're doing on a daily basis. So thank you, JoNelle.

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.