Driven by a desire to help Hawaii succeed in the 21st century by preparing the next generation of the state’s leaders, Craig founded Fresh Leadership in 2003 to share nationally recognized best practices in strategic planning and leadership. Craig has been trained and mentored by Tom Paterson, whose strategic planning and leadership coaching processes have been used at global companies such as IBM, Disney, McDonnell Douglas, Northrop Grumman, RCA and Estee Lauder. His knowledge of the Paterson Processes, as well as his credentials as an International Coach Federation Associate Certified Coach and a Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara Coach, have allowed him to become a trusted advisor to a wide range of Hawaii organizations such as the DOE, HEMIC and the Salvation Army, as well as leaders such as Colbert Matsumoto, CEO of Island Insurance, Cheryl Lupenui Kahuane, former CEO of YWCA, and Wayne Corderio, Sr. Pastor New Hope Oahu.
Craig discovered his passion for strategic planning and leadership training through his work with the church, which he was involved in prior to founding Fresh Leadership. He was mentored by Dr. J Robert Clinton, the guru of Life-Long Leadership Development, while a full-time graduate student at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He was also a part of the core church planting team with New Hope Christian Fellowship on Oahu from 1995 to 1999 in which the church grew from 0-6000 in weekend attendance.
Along with Ted Sakai, Craig is a cofounder of the Drucker Society of Hawaii, a learning practice community devoted to the study and application of Peter Drucker’s insights and ideas to contemporary problems confronting the local community.