Coreen Williams CHAIRCHAIR
Hauʻula native, a graduate of American Public University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Much of Coreen's career has been spent as an Executive Assistant in a university setting. Founder and CEO of 2Feet Productions, a publishing company, where Coreen assists new authors in publishing their work. |
Tiana Malina HendersonVICE CHAIR
Tiana Malina Henderson is a Kanaka Maoli, Tongan and is of multi-ethnic ancestry. Tiana is from Hāna, Maui, splits her time evenly between Hawaii and Aotearoa with her wife and keiki. Tiana’s current occupations are CEO of Indi-geniUS mind(s), Indigenous Engineer and Architect through Halau Hale Kuhikuhi (under kumu Francis Sinenci), and Cultural Educator for Purple Maia. Tiana is a hale building, lei making, ukulele playing, mele singing, body healing, rock stacking, aho braiding, talk story with anyone, wahine mahu. |
Uilani KeoTREASURER
Hauʻula native and younger sister of our founder, a graduate of Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Uilani has 10+ years of customer service experience working with Delta Airlines and JobNimbus. In 2015 she won an award for Delta Airlines’ top sellers “million air” club with over $1 Million in individual sales. |
Mahealani KeoSECRETARY
Leading the team is Mahealani Keo, Our Founder & CEO and Hauʻula native, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools. Mahealani has worked in the Food and Beverage industry for most of her career. In recent years, she has dedicated her time to building several businesses and working with the Hawaii Land Trust (HILT) to protect and preserve the Maunawila Heiau Complex. Her lived experience and knowledge allowed the opportunity to assist in developing cultural, ʻāina-based educational programs for grades K-12. Read more
"I owe everything that I am and aspire to be to my Hawaiian heritage, my ‘ohana, my kupuna who lead and protect me, and my community that inspires me to create a brighter future for our keiki." |
Kari Moana Kururangi
DIRECTOR
Kari splits her time evenly between Hawaii and Aotearoa with her wife and keiki. Kari Moana is a passionate young Ngāi Tahu woman (Māori), who has dedicated her career thus far to the revitalisation of her language, the decolonisation of Māori-medium education and the development and advancement of her people. Born at the beginning of the Kohanga Reo movement, Kari Moana was part of a new generation of Māori children raised as speakers of te reo Māori, after a long history of language loss amongst her people. Read more
After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (te reo Māori), her early career was dedicated to working for her iwi (tribe), Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, where she worked as a policy advisor in the Strategy and Influence team. However, her focus turned to education after the birth of her first child. Disheartened by the perpetual underachievement of Māori in the mainstream education system in Aotearoa, Kari Moana was part of team that established Te Pā o Rākaihautū, an innovative 21st century learning village (pā wānanga) devoted to educational success for the whole whānau. Kari developed the language programme for the school, and taught in a rumaki (immersion) classroom for 5 years, whilst also serving on the Board of Trustees. After graduating with a Masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership in 2018, Kari took on a lecturing position in Māori Education at the University of Canterbury, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Education. Kari continues to serve on the Board of Te Pā o Rākaihautū, as well as numerous other community boards and service positions dedicated to the advancement of Māori. Kari continues to serve on the Board of Te Pā o Rākaihautū, as well as...dedicated to the advancement of Māori. |
Scott GarloughDIRECTOR
Scott Garlough, affectionately known as Uncle Scotty, is from the valley of Kalihilihi 'o Laumiha, in the kona moku, on the mokupuni of Oʻahu. Being of Hawaiian descent, and a child of Kalihi, a resilient community of many different ethnicities, he grew up knowing firsthand the historical and cultural trauma brought on by colonization. Scotty works for Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, a federally qualified health center, at Hoʻoulu ʻĀina, a 100-acre nature preserve, that believes: ʻo ka hā o ka ʻāina ke ola o ka poʻe, the breath of the land is the life of the people. Read more
Here he holds space for our keiki, community members, local and national leaders to engage with ʻāina, and reconnect with their ancestors. Outside of this work he spends his time building hale, restoring fishponds, teaching lashings, restoring native forest, and building community across Hawaiʻi. Scotty's personal mission is to help heal the ʻāina and community from historical and cultural trauma using ʻike kupuna. “I donʻt need to know what kind of trauma you have to help heal you. Aloha heals everything.” |