The Hawaii State Teachers Association’s (HSTA) Communications Department has been recognized with 10 first-place awards and a best-in-show honor in a national contest for its multimedia efforts. The accolades were presented at the State Education Association Communicators (SEAComm) conference held in Minneapolis in late May.
The SEAComm awards program annually honors exceptional work by graphic designers, public relations specialists, editors, photographers, digital media specialists, writers, webmasters, and media planners employed by state affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA).
In the video category, HSTA received the prestigious Best in Show award for their outstanding work compared to entries from all participating states. Additionally, HSTA secured first-place awards in two video categories: one for a feature story on Hope McKeen, HSTA’s 2024 teaching excellence award winner, and another for an external video titled “Maui lawyer, volunteer photographer wins HSTA’s 2024 Friend of Youth award.” A third first-place was awarded for the internal short-form video “Vote for friends of education this general election.”
HSTA also received an honorable mention in the Internal Video: Long Form category for “Memories, wisdom and advice from HSTA’s early leaders,” which featured a recorded keynote address from three retired union activists. Their video unveiling a new double-hulled canoe logo last fall earned first place in the Video: News Story category.
In addition to video accolades, HSTA won several other awards of excellence. These included recognition for their graphic design with their new double-hulled canoe logo; portrait photography featuring Odetta, the first HSTA president; social media strategy on their Instagram page; electronic newsletters like Member Matters; interdisciplinary excellence with Hanohano Hawaiʻi; and membership materials such as “Welcome to the Hawaii State Teachers Association!”
Former HSTA Communications Specialist Terri Inefuku led the interdisciplinary project Hanohano Hawaiʻi and is now serving as Digital Content Director at Hawaii News Now.
At the same conference in May, Keoki Kerr, Director of Communications at HSTA, was honored with the prestigious 2025 Bill Guy PR Person of the Year award. This accolade recognizes excellence in public relations and celebrates individuals who advocate tirelessly for public education.
Keoki Kerr stated that these awards are “a tribute to the fine work of our talented communications staff,” acknowledging contributions from teacher leaders and various team members at HSTA.
The communications team includes Keoki Kerr as Director of Communications, Chris Schubert as Media Specialist, and Jill Meinecke as Communications Specialist.
