Associate Athletics Director - Senior Woman Administrator
Marilyn Moniz-Kahoohanohano


Marilyn Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano, UH’s senior woman administrator, is aimed at making the student-athlete success her top priority.

Promoting the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program (Challenging Athletes’ Minds for Personal Success) is high on her agenda.

“I want to emphasize the student-athlete development,” Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano said. “I want them to look back on their experience at UH in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership and to celebrate all of their successes along the way.”

Under the administration’s new organizational scheme, Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano continues to monitor gender equity and NCAA compliance within the department, while taking on a new role in the supervision of student services/academics and a dozen various sports programs.

“I foresee a great future for the University of Hawai‘i athletics department as we strive to have the best program in the WAC,” Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano said. “I’d like to help (athletics director) Herman Frazier in the department’s goal to reach financial stability while looking to make improvements in the areas of student services, creating more academic services for the student-athletes and enhancing life skills, and compliance.”

One of her major priorities continues to be the department’s compliance with the Patsy Mink Act (Title IX). Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano was instrumental in UH’s first gender equity plan, “If You Let Us Play…” which has recently been revised to the “Just Do It” plan in 2002. The plan more than doubled the opportunities for female athletes at UH, from less than 100 to nearly 200, added four sports and tripled the budget, all in a decade’s time. Now the department is embarking on a new five-year plan (2002-07) which looks to expand support for UH’s 12 women’s programs.

Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano oversees women’s volleyball, soccer, water polo, cheerleading, men’s golf, men and women’s tennis, sailing, and men and women’s swimming and diving.

In her 16 years in the department, Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano has been a part of many big accomplishments for the women’s programs.

She’s been to four women’s volleyball NCAA Championships (1996, 2000, ’02 and ’03), seen the inception of four new women’s sports (soccer, sailing, water polo and track and field) while playing host to two NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships (1989 and ’99).

“The years have gone by quickly,” said Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano. “When you look back, we definitely have gotten a lot accomplished with so many memorable moments.

“I can remember going with the Rainbow Wahine basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in 1990 when we beat Montana in front of 7,000 people to get to the second round for the first time. I remember when women’s soccer opened the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, and we had more than two thousand people there to help UH soccer christen their new home.

“And volleyball. Volleyball has always been at such a high level. Dave (Shoji) was my coach my senior year and he celebrated his 30th year of coaching last year. It’s always brought such pride and joy to see that program maintain such a high level, constantly being regarded as one of the top programs in the country.”

Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano was a scholar-athlete while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in American Studies as a member of the volleyball team. She was also the recipient of the prestigious Jack Bonham Award, which honors outstanding senior athletes.

Following graduation, Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano continued her education at UH’s School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1979. In 1980, she moved to Maui and served as a deputy prosecuting attorney. Four years later, she accepted a position as the deputy director for Parks and Recreation on Maui, becoming the director in 1986, just prior to joining UH.

Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano has served on a number of NCAA committees, including the Division I Volleyball, Division I Swimming and Diving, and the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison committee. She is currently on the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet.

“I am looking forward to the coming years and emphasizing the student-athlete experience and focussing on student-athlete success,” the SWA said. “We are all winners when we can accomplish this.”

Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano still finds time to keep in shape and spend quality time with her family. She has three daughters, ages 17, 16, and 11, and they are all athletes. Her husband is a firefighter and personal trainer. She and her family are active members of their church.