Keoni Vaughn

About Keoni Vaughn

I’m a nonprofit and business executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience helping organizations navigate complex challenges and grow in ways that are both strategic and sustainable.What drives me most is strengthening organizations from the inside out. That means building clear strategy, strong operations, trusted relationships, and brands that genuinely reflect the mission behind the work. I enjoy stepping into situations that feel complicated or stuck and helping bring clarity, structure, and forward momentum.As Executive Director of Lanai Cat Sanctuary, I lead an organization that has grown from a small local effort into a globally recognized animal welfare model. Beyond my role there, I regularly consult with nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations on strategy, fundraising, governance, and brand positioning. My focus is always the same: align purpose with practical systems so the organization can increase visibility, credibility, and long-term impact.I also serve as an advisor to our family-owned marketing and public relations firm, Transcendence Pacific. In that role, I support storytelling, digital strategy, and community-centered campaigns that help organizations connect authentically with the audiences who matter most.At the core of everything I do is a simple belief: when mission, leadership, and execution are aligned, organizations don’t just grow, they thrive.

Experience

1. Executive Director

   Lanai Cat Sanctuary

   Jan 2014 — Present · Lanai City, HI, US

   Executive Director | Lanai Cat Sanctuary | 2014–PresentExecutive nonprofit leader at the intersection of animal welfare, conservation, and destination tourism. I lead strategy, fundraising, brand, operations, partnerships, compliance, and campus development for Lanai Cat Sanctuary, widely recognized as the island’s #1 visitor attraction and a model replicated by other communities.Highlights & outcomes• Scaled visibility and visitation from roughly 800 to annual guests, turning a remote-island sanctuary into a globally recognized destination. • Built financial strength by growing reserves from $97K to $3.3M over 8 years through diversified fundraising, donor development, and new revenue streams. • Expanded impact capacity: grew campus footprint from to over sq. ft. and increased admissions from ~300 to ~800 cats (while improving health outcomes and care protocols). • Developed high-trust partnerships across government, conservation, tourism, and animal welfare, including collaboration with Hawai‘i DLNR and local land stewardship partners. • Earned major media and viral reach (multi-million view content + national features), converting awareness into sustained donor support. • Led full-scope executive operations including HR and nonprofit compliance, vendor strategy, and financial reporting/dashboards to manage ~$2M+ annual operating complexity (and scaling).

Education

• University of Missouri-Columbia

  National Cruelty Investigator, Animal Cruelty Investigations

• Humane Society of the United States

  Animal Fighting Investigation Certification

• National Animal Care and Control Association

  NACA Level I

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

  ICS 100, 200, 300, 700 / Weapons of Mass Destruction – FEMA 006a/MGT-100

Skills

• Conflict Resolution
• Leadership Development
• Event Planning
• Event Management
• Strategic Communications
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Media
• Social Media Marketing
• Budgets
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Excel
• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Press Releases
• Non-Profits
• Marketing Communications
• Facebook
• Nonprofits
• Blogging
• Research
• Newsletters
• Grants
• Pets
• Marketing
• Social Networking
• Strategic Planning
• Teaching
• Project Management
• Microsoft Office
• Public Speaking
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Customer Service
• Public Relations
• Photography
• Media Relations
• Advertising
• Policy
• Editing
• Volunteer Management