Michael Fisch, president of the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America, is being honored by the organization as Hawai'i's distinguished citizen of 2006.

Fisch, president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser and president of Gannett Pacific Corp., has been a member of the Aloha Council board since 1999. He has been dedicated to Scouting since age 8.

In his two-year tenure as president, which ends in February 2007, he chaired a committee that formalized a strategic plan to lead the Aloha Council through the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America in 2010.

"He is very deserving ... Mike brought people together, corporate and unit leaders, to serve our mission in Boy Scouts in fundraising and recruiting volunteers and Scouts," Aloha Council finance director Wes Heu said.

Fisch will receive the 25th distinguished citizen award Wednesday at the Sheraton-Waikiki's Hawai'i Ballroom.

The Aloha Council serves 18,000 youths on every Hawaiian island except Maui, as well as the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The Aloha Council's distinguished citizen award is presented annually to a Hawai'i resident whose leadership in business, industry, government, education, Boy Scouts or community endeavors contributes significantly to the growth and vitality of Hawai'i.

Past winners include Mike May and Carol Ai May, W. Allen Doane, Ronald K. Migita, Vicky Cayetano, Warren H. Haruki, William W. Paty Jr., Don E. Carroll, Walter A. Dods Jr., former Gov. Ben Cayetano, John C. Brogan, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, H. Howard Stephenson, former Mayor Frank Fasi, Russell K. Okata, former Gov. John Waihee, George J. Fukunaga, the late U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga, Frank J. Manaut, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, John D. Bellinger, Robert J. Pfeiffer, Chinn Ho, Maurice J. Sullivan and James F. Gray.

The goals of the council's strategic plan are to identify, recruit, train and motivate the best possible adult volunteer and professional leadership available; create opportunities for Scout-age youth and their families to join traditional values-based Scouting programs; and create quality programs as well as opportunities for culturally diverse and Scout-age youth and their families in rural and urban areas, and increase resources for operating, capital and endowment dollars.

"Mike brought collaboration to the table," Heu said.

For example, allowing the council's camp facilities at Pupukea to be rented by outside programs and agencies such as Punahou and Kamehameha schools and Brigham Young University-Hawai'i created new partnerships during Fisch's tenure, Heu said.

Fisch also is chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i's military affairs council, and serves on the boards of the Hawai'i Business Roundtable, Bishop Museum and Enterprise Honolulu.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.