OUR BOARD
The mission of Alzheimer’s Caregiving & The Caregivers is to prepare, equip, and provide evolving support to “families” caregiving for loved ones diagnosed with the progressive and debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s or related Dementias. Our journey started when my wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I began to realize the full scope of what we were facing. I am excited to welcome our founding Board Directors, each a close friend and strong community advocate, who together will help accomplish our goals.
~ Tony S. Vericella
Tony S. Vericella
Before Tony’s wife Dana was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he enjoyed 38+ years of extensive leadership experience in all aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry.
His career in Hawai‘i began with Hawaiian Airlines and evolved to American Express Travel Related Services, Budget Rent a Car-Asia/Pacific, Hawai`i Visitors and Convention Bureau, Island Partners Hawai‘i, Luxe Travel Hawai‘i, and MC&A, to his sustainable hospitality solutions consulting firm, TSV Enterprises LLC.
Tony is proud and honored to have served as the Executive Director of the 75th Commemoration Committee of the Attack on Pearl Harbor (2016) and also coordinated the historic event, in late December, 2016, that brought President Obama and Prime Minister Abe together at Pearl Harbor. He was once again honored to have served as Executive Director for the 75th WWII Commemoration Committee (2020).
In the fall of 2018, his wife of 38 years and mother of their triplets, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his trajectory changed permanently. Through the daily journey of caring for his wife, Tony took on the mission of learning how to be the best caregiver possible. In his ongoing search for support, communities, and resources to help with caregiving and to support caregivers, he found the quantity of information was overwhelming and organized in a way that was difficult for a caregiver to find what they might need at a given point of time. Tony knew that he wasn’t alone and set out on a mission to pass on the healing, the strength, and the power that comes from understanding and sharing experiences. He chose to create a digital community where an evolving, curated list of resources is organized around Alzheimer’s Caregiving & The Caregivers.
Keith Vieira
Keith Vieira, a native Hawaiian, from Hilo, Hawaii is a strong advocate for providing Hawaii’s youth with leadership opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry. His commitment to this initiative has given local students and college graduates opportunities and advantages in their careers.
He created Starwood Hawaii’s Na Wahine Diversity Council with a mission to expand female leadership within Hawaii’s hotel industry and promote leadership roles for our diverse ethnicities.
Upon retiring from Starwood, Keith started KV & Associates Hospitality Consulting in 2014. He has direct involvement and oversight of new hotel acquisitions and new-builds, and extensive work in the assessment and execution of renovations and repositioning within a brand or involving rebranding.
He is currently an Executive-in-Residence at The Shidler College of Business and continues to be a supporter of the school’s Keith Vieira Ho’owaiwai a Ho’ona’auao Endowed Scholarship. He currently Chairs the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management Advisory Council and serves on the Advisory Council for The Shidler College of Business.
Keith remains an active advocate of tourism industry organizations, and serves on boards, primarily focused on the visitor industry and education.We are proud and honored to have him support ACTC.
Elissa Lines
Elissa Lines serves as the Executive Director of Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, where she oversees the national museum’s mission to steward America’s first aviation battlefield of World War II by sharing the impact and response to the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Elissa joined Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in 2013 after a 20-year career supporting other prominent aviation museums. Accepting the role was an emotional one – while preparing to move to Hawaii, she found her father’s WWII marine discharge papers and only then learned that he was a veteran of the Pacific Theater. Like many WWII veterans, her father did not share the challenges and horrors of his service.
Elissa is particularly drawn to the mission and vision of ACTC. As shared, her father, a WWII veteran, had never been a talkative or communicative person. Late in life, he suffered the physical and mental impact of a massive stroke. During his last ten years of life, it was the sustaining support of family, the joy of family visits even when those present were no longer familiar to him, that made each day valued. She remembers asking him, given all the challenges faced, if living was still worth it to him – without question or thought, his answer was “yes.” We are fortunate to have Elissa as a member of our community.
Ray L’Heureux
A helicopter pilot by trade, Ray has commanded with the US Marine Corps’ Marine Air – Ground Task Force, The White House Military Office, United States Secret Service, and local and state law enforcement. He was Honored with the command, safety, security, and responsibility as the personal Helicopter Pilot for Presidents George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, in addition to leading one of the largest and most prestigious aviation units in the United States Marine Corps. Ray currently serves as a Department of Defense consultant with magniX, headquartered in Everett Washington, and its parent organization, The Clermont Group.
Ray has also served the Mayor of Honolulu to advocate for the mayor’s goal to bring relevant and meaningful policy solutions for affordable housing, a critical need in the community. In addition, he served as the President and CEO of the nonprofit; Pacific Historic Parks and is a director on numerous local Boards and is the current chair and President of the Education Institute of Hawaii.
Ray has also served as the Vice President, Asia Pacific Programs, Global Relief Technologies. His mandate makes him responsible for all programs in the Pacific to include Hawaii Department of Emergency Services, MARFORPAC/PACFLT civil affairs and expeditionary medicine, and the American Red Cross Disaster Management/preparedness office.
Ray’s body of work extends far beyond what is listed here and we are truly honored to have him as part of the ACTC team.
OUR PARTNERS
Hawaii News Now and HI Now Daily
Hawaii News Now and HI Now Daily are honored and privileged to partner with Alzheimer’s Caregiving & The Caregivers to help provide weekly informational segments with tools, resources and support for families that are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/Dementia.