Still in his first 90 days in this role, Easterseals Hawaiʻi CEO Patrick Klein is leading the organization how he knows best by prioritizing people.
“I’ve always tried to prioritize the people around me,” he told Aloha State Daily. “That’s our mission when you sum it up is with our participants, how do get them to live the best life that they can? Same thing with my employees. How do we get them to live the best that they can?”
For more than 75 years, Easterseals Hawaiʻi has served keiki to kūpuna from across Isle communities, empowering local people “with intellectual or developmental disabilities to achieve their goals and live independent, fulfilling lives," its mission states. Programs include early intervention, autism services, adult home and community-based services and employment services.
Last year, Klein was brought on as vice president of programs and now oversees nearly 200 staff members and yearly revenues of more than $17 million, per ProPublica. He succeeds Andrea Pettiford, who was CEO since 2021.
“Now as CEO, I have the honor and responsibility to not only make sure our programs and participants are taken care of, but also our team here,” he said. “I’m fortunate to have a lot of great people around me in the community that I’ve worked with before and can work with at Easterseals.”
Born and raised in Kailua, Klein attended St. John Vianney Parish in the Enchanted Lake neighborhood through eighth grade and went to Maryknoll High School before graduating in Business Administration from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
“My parents still go to that church (St. John Vianney) on Kailua side. ... It was way too cold for me in Washington, so you know, I came right back home. Local boy, I missed the beach, I missed everything."
Prior to joining Easterseals Hawaiʻi, he served as chief revenue officer at aio Hawaiʻi and prior to that, spent more than 20 years in local media, including at Oʻahu Publications Inc. He has held various roles on nonprofit boards and plans to continue to serving with HUGS Hawaiʻi, which he says he has done for “many, many years.”
Easterseals Hawaiʻi is currently hiring to fill the vacated position of VP of Programs. Click here to see the job posting.
ASD asked Klein about his immediate priorities, including staffing, service growth and legislation, as well as a fun fact about himself.
What are your current priorities?
On staffing…“It’s a small labor pool and frontline positions can be a challenge to fill. We work with the state [Early Intervention Section], which has helped us maximize the value that we can pass onto our team members. Something the state has also done for the frontline workers in our adult program is pass a slight increase to the hourly reimbursement rate, starting this year. So, we’re always looking for ways to partner and make it sustainable. … We want [employees] to not just be making ends meet, but to have a livable wage.”
On scaling services… “There has been an increase in inquiries for autism services. Unfortunately, there’s a backlog of diagnostic evaluations (about an 18-month to two-year waitlist), which are needed for insurance purposes. I’d love to become the diagnostic evaluation program for the state and even for the Pacific. I’m dreaming, but I think this will help create good jobs, make it easier for families in need of services. ... We’re already doing this on a small scale, so we’re still planning and will hopefully start to scale up.”
On diversifying funding… “We are trying to diversify more through our development. We not only want to raise money but raise a lot of awareness. We do have something coming up April 2, a benefit concert called ʻMusic for Allʻ with the Green and Kawika Kahiapo at the Hawaiʻi Theatre.” This fundraiser is supported by corporate partners and individual ticket sales." Details.
What bills in this year’s legislative session are you watching?We’re closely watching HB1800 (the state budget bill) because it impacts funding for critical services like early intervention, autism therapy and community-based supports.
Hawai‘i’s disability service system is facing a workforce crisis. Without competitive wages for Direct Support Professionals (DSP) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT), families cannot access services even when funding technically exists.
- DSP/RBT wages are often $18 to $22 per hour
- Fast food, retail, and tourism jobs often pay similar or higher wages
- High turnover creates service gaps and waitlists
- Families cannot access care even when programs are funded
The greatest challenge facing disability services today is workforce sustainability. Our direct support professionals and behavior technicians are essential to families across Hawai‘i. Investing in this workforce strengthens our communities, helps families stay together, and ultimately reduces long-term costs for the state by building a more resilient workforce for Hawaiʻi. Easterseals Hawaiʻi is committed to working with the state to pilot workforce stabilization strategies and track outcomes so we can build a sustainable system long term.
HB1800 represents an opportunity for Hawai‘i to continue investing in the services that help our most vulnerable residents live and thrive in their communities.
What is something that people might not know about you? I absolutely love being a dad and some of my best leadership lessons come from parenting. Kids have a special way of reminding you what patience, resilience and encouragement really look like. They also keep your negotiation skills sharp through daily debates about extra screen time or making the case for why they should have their own cell phone.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
