Liz Chun

Wednesday - December 07, 2011
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Photo courtesy Liz Chun

Liz Chun the always friendly former news reporter and sports director for Hawaii News Now now basks in anticipation, excitement and some emotional scattering. Chun, along with husband and HNN Sunrise morning show co-anchor Steve Uyehara, are awaiting the birth of their first child which may be happening while you’re reading this.

“All my reporter skills are coming in very handy. Any woman I meet, or who I know has children, I am asking them a million and one questions,” says Chun.

Chun, who hosted viewers on KGMB and HNN each evening for so many years, had a very difficult decision to make in 2010 when she resigned from her position as sports director.

“At that time, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I really needed to give him 100 percent of myself. After he passed, it was so sudden for me, I decided to take a break to really figure out my priorities,” she says.

After spending much time at Pali Momi Medical Center with her father, and after discussions with its COO Jen Chahanovich, Chun decided to take a position as director of philanthropy there.

“I think with everything I had gone through with my dad and feeling comfortable inside the hospital, it just became a really good fit,” says Chun, who was featured on MidWeek‘s cover in January 2002.

In her current position, Chun has incorporated and utilized her experience as a journalist to help blend the needs of the community with the mission and initiatives of the hospital.

“Initially it was important for me to expand my sense of the hospital. As I became more familiar, I was able to meet with community and business members and explain how, if they were interested, they could help the hospital. I meet grateful patients who want to give back, and I also help organize our fundraising events,” says Chun, who will be giving her son the middle name Ernest in honor of her father.

“I am really thankful for my dad for giving me the work ethic I have. No matter what position I have held, my dad taught me to always put everything you have into it. If you do a good job, people will respect you for it, and that is the best thing you can walk away with.”