Robin Kumabe

Executive Director, Touch A Heart - Aiea, HI

Robin Kumabe is the Executive Director of Touch A Heart, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers individuals facing barriers to employment, including those who are justice-involved, experiencing homelessness, and in substance abuse recovery. This year, Touch A Heart is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its vocational foodservice internship program. By partnering with organizations that have underutilized commercial kitchens, Touch A Heart transforms these spaces into hands-on training sites where participants build skills in a healing, judgment-free environment.

The organization also operates employment social enterprises (ESEs)—businesses that provide paid jobs, skill-building, and support to individuals rebuilding their lives. Through the production of high-quality products, ESEs like Baker’s Heart, Touch A Heart Catering, and Ohana Meals offer meaningful work experience while generating income that sustains the nonprofit’s mission. To date, Touch A Heart has helped over 130 individuals gain the skills and confidence needed to secure employment and become contributing members of society. With a 95% long-term employment rate among graduates and 100% earning their Hawai‘i Department of Health Food Handler Certification, the program’s model has proven both effective and sustainable.

Robin brings a background in brand, marketing, and communications to her leadership role, helping Touch A Heart refine its mission and share its impact. Under her guidance, the organization continues to demonstrate how food can be a powerful tool for empowerment, resilience, and transformation. Before leading Touch A Heart, Robin was an entrepreneur and branding consultant. A UCLA graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Design, she launched her own design firm and later co-founded bCause, one of Hawaii’s first certified B Corporations, focused on helping mission-driven organizations become sustainable enterprises.

Robin now applies her entrepreneurial mindset to the nonprofit sector, guiding Touch A Heart’s mission to transform lives, one heart at a time.