West O‘ahu Chancellor’s Award Winner

2011
Cynthia Vinluan

UH West O‘ahu Secretary to the Chancellor Cynthia “Cindy” Vinluan has worked in the university system for 33 years. She began her career at Kaua‘i and also held positions at Kapi‘olani and Manoa. In 2004, she started a new position at West O‘ahu as the secretary to the dean of student services and was later promoted to the secretary to the chancellor in 2008. She provides administrative support to the Chancellor‘s Office and works with all campus departments coordinating meetings, appointments and events, organizing schedules and communicating with internal and external audiences on a daily basis.

“Cindy is the heart of our office,” says West O‘ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni. “She is truly a pleasant person to work with and does an excellent job managing multiple projects efficiently and effectively. She works hard every day with a positive energy and warmth that people respond to. Her support is vital to the success of the university and we are all so fortunate she chose to call UH West O‘ahu home.”

Vinluan goes out of her way to make every UH West O‘ahu student, faculty and staff member feel valued and welcomed and takes great pride in helping the university shine. She treats everyone with respect and plays an integral role in ensuring the success of the university, always being part of the solution and looking at every challenge as an opportunity for growth and understanding.

“She is pleasant, encouraging and nurturing, even in the toughest of times. Her good heart is evident in the way she conducts herself. She exhibits the highest degree of professionalism, yet always thinks of the needs of others first. She is more than deserving of recognition and praise for her quiet leadership, service, and fostering excellence at the West O‘ahu,” notes a colleague.