Vicky Cayetano

Vicky Tiu Cayetano (born March 3, 1956) was First Lady of Hawaii from 1997 to 2002. She and Governor Ben Cayetano were married May 5, 1997 in Washington Place. Both had been previously married. He was a career politician with three grown children, and she was an independent business owner with two teenagers. During her tenure, she was instrumental in getting a new governor's residence built and turning Washington Place into a museum.

Vicky Cayetano
First Lady of Hawaii
In role May 5, 1997 – December 2, 2002
Governor	Ben Cayetano
Preceded by	Lynne Waihee
Succeeded by	Nancie Caraway (2010)
Personal details
Born	Vicky Tiu (1956-03-16) March 16, 1956 Manila, Philippines
Children	2 of her own 3 stepchildren
Education	Stanford University

Background

She was born in Manila, Philippines, one of nine children of Pat and William Tiu. Her older sister is musician and actress Ginny Tiu. Both of them appeared in movies with Elvis Presley. After the family moved to San Francisco, Vicky and a group of her friends started a travel agency when she was a teenager. She later attended Stanford University in California, but did not graduate. Vicky married a financial consultant in California and had two children. The family later moved to Hawaii. In 1988, she helped start United Laundry Company to service hotels and hospitals, eventually becoming president and CEO. She divorced her first husband in 1992.[1][2][3]

Ben Cayetano was the sitting Governor of Hawaii, with three grown children with his first wife, Lorraine Cayetano. They were separated for five years, then divorced in 1996 after 37 years of marriage.[3]

Cayetano and Tiu met while both were working out at the Honolulu Club fitness center.[3] They were married one-and-a-half years later in the governor's official residence on May 5, 1997.[4][3]

As First Lady

After marrying Ben Cayetano, she continued to operate the laundry company, but spending fewer hours in the day on it. Her daily schedule was distributed to her employees, and she was available if needed. The evening hours were devoted to her family, giving individual time to her teenage children.[5]

In 1999, she participated in the Honolulu Habitat for Humanity's Women Build.[6] She was named 1999 Woman of Distinction by Hawaii's Girl Scouts for her work in motivating young women.[7]

In 2001, Vicky proposed turning Washington Place into a museum telling the story of Lili'uokalani.[8] Toward that end, she created the Washington Place Foundation to raise funds to build a new residence for the state's governor.[9] The new residence, constructed directly behind Washington Place, was finished in time for the new governor Linda Lingle.[10]

Recent career

After her tenure as first lady, Cayetano continued to oversee United Laundry Services. She was named Sales Person of the Year for 2011 by Sales & Marketing Executives International (SMEI), Honolulu Chapter.[11]

In 2018, the 30th anniversary of United Laundry Services, Cayetano was honored with the Pacific Business News' "Women Who Mean Business" Career Achievement Award.[12] The following year, the University of Hawaii's School of Travel Industry Management presented Cayetano with the 2019 Legacy in Tourism Award.[13]

Cayetano also volunteers on the board of directors for the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.[13]

References

1. Kresnak, William (May 6, 1997). "Wedding: first lady plans to deal with role 'one day at a time'". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . p. A5. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
2. Creamer, Beverly (May 11, 1997). "First lady: new Mrs. Cayetano likes to talk business". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . p. A2. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
3. Yuen, Mike (1997-05-06). "Cayetano, bride met during workout". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
4. Kresnak, William (May 6, 1997). "Hawaii gets a first lady". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . p. A1. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
5. "Vicky Cayetano". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . May 3, 1998. p. F1. Retrieved December 4, 2017.; "Vicky Cayetano: A year in the limelight". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . May 3, 1998. p. F10. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
6. Blakeman, Karen (September 26, 1999). "Vicky Cayetano's plank helps housing". The Honolulu Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . p. A19. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
7. "Girl Scouts name Vicky Cayetano role model for 1999". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 19, 1999. p. A29. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
8. Leidermann, Mike (August 11, 2002). "Washington Place museum to focus on Lili'uokalani". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
9. Leidermann, Mike (January 5, 2001). "Washington Place plan would make it a museum". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved December 4, 2017.; Leidermann, Mike (January 5, 2001). "Washington: first lady's plan would build a new home". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A6. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
10. Leidermann, Mike (August 11, 2002). "Moving out of Washington Place". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved December 4, 2017.; "Inside the governor's residence". The Honolulu Advertiser. August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
11. "Vicky Cayetano, Sales Person of the Year - Hawaii Reporter". Hawaii Reporter. February 29, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
12. Mai, HJ (5 January 2018). "Pacific Business News names 2018 Women Who Mean Business Career Achievement honoree". Pacific Business News. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
13. "Vicky Cayetano President & CEO, United Laundry Services". School of Travel Industry Management. University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management. Retrieved 20 July 2019.