Julie Morikawa, ClimbHI - 11-1-23

Join us for our bi-monthly meeting.
Treehouse Coworking Kahala

4819 Kilauea Ave. #7

Honolulu, HI 96816  

We meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Our guest is Julie Morikawa, President and Executive Director of ClimbHI

Julie has served as the founder and president of ClimbHI since 2011. She previously had more than a decade of experience in the hospitality and technology sectors, working with OTAs, eCommerce companies, hotel direct technology providers, hotels, restaurants, and mobile apps worldwide. This includes Expedia Inc., Aston Hotels & Resorts, Bellagio, Trump International Hotels & Resorts, Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort, Remark Media, and Traveltripper.

Julie’s passion for the hospitality industry started at the age of 7 years old while dancing hula on cruise ships and in Hawaii hotels. After she graduated from Punahou School, Julie struggled to find local resources to support her career search. That experience would lay the foundation for ClimbHI. She holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration from Cornell University – globally recognized for its hospitality programs. Julie also served as the President of the Cornell Hotel Society in Hawaii.

In addition to her work with ClimbHI, Julie serves in hands-on roles on the advisory boards for Kapiolani Community College and Kapolei High School. She also lectures for several post-secondary institutions, where students receive course credit for their execution of ClimbHI events. This includes Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University, Kauai Community College and Maui College.

Julie was recognized as a 2022 Hawaii Business magazine 20 for the Next 20 honoree, as well as the 2021 Woman of the Year by the Hawaii Chapter of Women in Lodging and Tourism. She was also named to the 2021 Women Who Mean Business cohort by Pacific Business News.