About Wendy
I'm a Native Hawaiian writer, entrepreneur and technology professional, born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.
Shortly after high school, I moved to California and eventually made my way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where I spent nearly 20 years living, working and building businesses during one of the most transformative periods in the city's history.
My career began in marketing and technology, including 15 years with Cisco Systems in the Middle East, where my work took me throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Eventually, I traded corporate life for entrepreneurship and co-founded Sumo Sushi & Bento, a homegrown Japanese restaurant concept that grew to more than 25 locations across the Middle East.
Dubai is also where I met my husband, Youssef. After years abroad, we made the decision to return to Hawaiʻi to raise our two children and begin another chapter.
Writing became part of that chapter.
What started as a personal blog documenting food, family and our travels eventually led to opportunities to write for online and print publications. Over the years, I've written about everything from food and travel to culture, business, marketing, technology and life in Hawaiʻi.
Today, my work sits somewhere at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, education and community.
I'm the CEO of ʻŌhia Technology Group and Chairman of Kaulike Academy, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit focused on creating opportunities for young people. I'm also the founder of Tech Savvy Teens, where teenagers use their technology skills to help kūpuna navigate an increasingly digital world
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After years of writing for businesses, organizations, clients and everyone else, I'm also finding my way back to writing for myself.
I've lived a lot of lives in one lifetime—corporate executive, restaurant owner, entrepreneur, mother, traveler, technologist, nonprofit leader and writer.
There are still plenty of stories left to tell.
I live in Honolulu with my husband and our two children.
Writing is where I started. And somehow, I keep finding my way back to it.