The old Secretaries Day has evolved into Wednesday's Administrative Professionals Day — one part of Administrative Professionals Week — and Joyce Garnes thinks both the changes and celebration fit the extra duties of her profession.

"Our jobs have changed so much that we have a lot more responsibilities than ever before," said Garnes, executive assistant in the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau's meetings, conventions and incentives department. "It's much more than just correspondence and making arrangements for travel. We create presentations, we represent our bosses to the outside, we have a lot more responsibility than ever before."

Executive and administrative assistants like Garnes often need to know how to navigate their ways through PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and all kinds of databases, she said.

Garnes is also helping to organize the Administrative Professionals Week for this year's 50th anniversary of the Hawaii Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, the oldest of the Islands' six chapters, which include three on O'ahu.

Maui's No Ka Oi chapter also celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, the O'ahu chapter marks its 25th year, and the Mahalo No Ka Hana chapter at Brigham Young University-Hawai'i celebrates its 10th year.

Garnes has pored through state Department of Labor data that list about 3,600 administrative and executive assistants and other similar positions. But, based on the number of Hawai'i businesses, Garnes believes the actual number of administrative and executive assistants and secretaries in the Islands is closer to 6,000.

Nationally, the International Association of Administrative Professionals estimates that more than 4.1 million administrative assistants and secretaries worked in the United States in 2004. More than 255,000 administrative assistant and secretarial positions will be added between 2004 and 2014, according to the group, for a growth of 6.2 percent.

Garnes hopes their bosses honor all of them this week — or at least on Wednesday.

"We contribute a lot so it's nice to be recognized for all of that hard work and dedication," Garnes said.

Jeff Davis, administrative manager for Pacific LightNet, was rewarded with a breakfast last year at the Plaza Club and isn't sure what's planned for Wednesday.

"It's nice to have a day or week to celebrate," Davis said. "For (executive and administrative assistants) it's great to be rewarded and recognized for all the work they do, for always going above and beyond."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.