We are here to start something

Dennis Brown
President/CEO

President/CEO Dennis Brown graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1978. In 1982, he received a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning with a coursework concentration in social service program administration and planning.

Since 1987, Dennis has directed non-profit programs or agencies in the human services field including Areawide Horizons for Senior Citizens, a comprehensive program providing transportation, meals, and counseling, for elderly residents of North Shore Oahu, and Lanakila Meals on Wheels, a program of Lanakila Rehabilitation Center, Inc. During his employment with Lanakila, Dennis also served as a board member of the Hawaii Intergenerational Network in 1998 and as president of the Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society in 1999.

In September 1998, Dennis began his current position as President/CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Honolulu. Under his leadership, BBBS of Honolulu has expanded its services from serving 300 children per year in 1999 to serving more than 800 children in 2006.

Dennis also has the distinction of being the first client, or Little Brother, served by BBBS of Honolulu agency from 1964 to 1966.

Dennis’s experience as BBBS of Honolulu’s first Little Brother, and the influence of his Big Brother, Henry Sumida, were major factors in his choice to go into a career in human services. In his role as CEO of BBBS of Honolulu, he serves on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation Board of Directors; the Hawaii Youth Services Network Board of Directors; the Hawaii Employers Council Board of Governors; and the BBBS of America Nationwide Leadership Council’s Mentoring Programs Committee.

Jill Matro
VP of Program Services and Branch Operations

VP of Program Services and Branch Operations Jill Matro has been with BBBSH since 2004. Jill graduated from University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelors of Science degree in Speech Pathology/ Audiology with an emphasis on Disability Studies in 2000. In 2004, she earned a Masters of Social Work, with a medical emphasis from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Jill originally began at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu in August 2004 as a Match Support Specialist. In January 2008, she was promoted to Program Director responsible for the planning, implementation, evaluation and direction of the day-to-day operations of the direct services program. As the organization grew to include programs on the neighbor island of Kauai, Jill became the VP of Program Services and Branch Operations in September 2010.

Jill sees the health of work relationships as critical and makes fun and creativity a priority. Jill and her husband, Dean, are proud parents of four. As a family they enjoy traveling, cooking/eating, sports and serving the community.