Celebrating Women Who Served

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Hawai’i PTAC would like to honor all women who have served our nation!

We also would like to showcase and say Thank You for your Service to a few of Hawaii’s own!

1. Alice Tetsuko Kono from Molokai, Hawaii; Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) 1943.
2. Betty “Tack” Blake; who died April 9, 2015 at the age of 94, was believed to be the last surviving graduate of the first Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) training class during World War II. “I feel very blessed to have been there at the beginning and gotten in,” said Blake in an interview with Airman magazine before her death. “It’s been an exciting life from a little kid who grew up on the beach in Honolulu.”
3. Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician and United States Army Reserve officer who served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021.
4. Major General (MG) Suzanne P. Vares-Lum is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) at Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.
5. Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne S. Bass, whose hometown is Mililani. The Air Force became the first military service to pick a woman as its top enlisted leader.

Hawai’i PTAC also supports and assists businesses with the Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) program!

The Women Owned Small Business certification and the Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) certification program.

PTAC WOSB Program Benefits
Access to opportunities, such as large corporations and federal agencies.
Training and educational programs exclusive to WOSB.
Connect to agencies looking meet their 5% subcontracting federal goals.
Access to leads for bids and proposals.

Qualifications
Be 51% controlled by one or more women, and primarily managed by one or more women.
The women must be U.S. citizens.
The firm must be “small” in its primary industry in accordance with SBA’s guidelines for that industry.

Getting Certified
To find out if you qualify, and if this is a good program for your business contact the Hawai’i PTAC.  www.hawaiiapex.org

“The Procurement Technical Assistance Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency”