Born and raised in Hawaii, Deneen attended Aiea High School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She is a CPA with her own firm and has over 30 years of experience working in several local and national firms here in Hawaii, including MC Group Hawaii, PKF Pacific Hawaii, and  Grant Thornton. 

 

Deneen’s compassion, willingness to give back, and share her talents whenever she can have led her to volunteer at many local organizations over the years. She previously held volunteer leadership positions at the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, ProjectFocus, Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation, and Aloha Council Boy Scouts Hawaii.

 

Deneen is a first generation college graduated . She believes in mentoring young adults because she feels that there is no better gift for a person than the advice and guidance of someone who believes in them.

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Fun fact:  Deneen is a BTS (Korean pop band) fan, otherwise known as ARMY, and is mostly fascinated by their positive influence on their audience, from young children to grandparents.