Paul ensures that Tūtū and Me is fiscally responsible and manages the budgets of all 13 teams across Hawaiʻi. Although he does not have any background in early childhood education, he understands the importance of the work done by every staff member.

“He cares so much and is always willing to go over and above to make things better for our staff, administration, and the children and caregivers that we serve,” says Vice President of Operations Alison Masutani.

“When I see the front line staff do what they do, day in and day out, that’s what motivates me to do whatever I can to help provide them with the necessary resources to deliver Tūtū and Me to those we serve,” says Paul.

Known as Tūtū and Me’s “money man,” Paul came to PIDF after working for many years with a small, family-owned commercial real estate business. Yonette Nakamura, Tūtū and Me Hawaiʻi North’s Site Manager, has known Paul since he started and explains how profound, empathetic, and witty he is.

Yonette describes an incident in 2013 when a Tūtū and Me staff member’s mother was rushed to the hospital on a neighbor island. “Paul was not only comforting to that team member, he was instrumental in getting her on the next flight and driving her to the airport.”

“When things are crazy, I appreciate his humor and when things are stressful, I appreciate the time he takes to talk with me and think things through,” says Alison. “He is such a joy and I feel so blessed to have him as a colleague and to be able to call him my friend.”

Mahalo nui loa to Paul for all of his diligent work to ensure our Tūtū and Me program continues to be able to serve our families and communities! We are grateful for his humor and spirit here at PIDF.

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve. ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

Kelsey La Cuesta is a Preschool Teacher at Ka Paʻalana’s HOPE Shelter site. Working at PIDF for about a year, Kelsey says there is never a boring day at work with Kasey. She mimes Kasey’s “normal dance that everyone knows,” saying that Kasey can’t be described in just three words.

Other coworkers call Kasey fun-loving, humorous, and energetic, and cite her experience working with toddlers as an asset to the team. When asked about her teaching style, Ka Paʻalana’s Program Manager, Terry Nakamura, describes it as “very messy! There’s paint all over the place when she teaches because it’s child-centered and gives [the keiki] the freedom and permission to learn through all of their senses.”

“Her heart for the families is inspiring,” says Terry. “No matter how busy she is or how much pressure there is, she always seems to be able to keep them the priority.”

Born and raised in Waiʻanae, Kasey knows the families, the culture, and is passionate about helping change her own community. She says she most enjoys is being in contact with the families, and being able to engage with the whole family unit — not just the keiki.

“It’s unique that we’re here for the whole family, and create this ʻohana culture where everyone is accepted,” says Kasey. She explains how ending the cycle of poverty through education is Ka Paʻalana’s primary mission, and that she feels blessed to be part of it. 

Kasey describes how working with the Ka Paʻalana families has created a complete transformation within her and even how she mothers her children, saying she sees success for her children as them being good people and seeing the good in others.

“I’m so inspired by the families… the children, their resilience, and I think this job has really taught me that people who have the least often give the most,” she says. She humbly explains how as passionate as she is about her job, that it would be a difficult job if it weren’t for the people she works with and the people they serve.

“Kasey is probably the most whole-hearted person I’ve ever met,” says Kelsey. “Everything she does, she does to the best of her ability. And I know she’s going to do great things for Ka Paʻalana.”

Mahalo nui loa to Kasey for her compassion for and dedication to our Ka Paʻalana ʻohana! We are thrilled to be able to honor her as our last Na Makamae for 2019. She is truly an inspiration.

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve. ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

He came to PIDF after looking for another position that would allow him to spend more time with his family, and Craig was delighted with how welcoming PIDF has been since he started.

“When I looked at the foundation I saw the work they do and the services they provide, who they are… it made me very interested in joining the team,” he said. “When I was accepted to the position I was very elated.”

Craig says his job is basically trying to get people to work safely, to minimize and prevent accidents. He works hard to be someone who is accessible and approachable to the rest of the staff, and tries to challenge people’s misconceptions about safety.

“I want people to see me as a resource, as someone who can help them,” he says.

Sovaia Ravono is the Senior HR/Payroll Specialist at PIDF and works regularly with Craig — the HR team and Safety share an office down the road from headquarters. Craig is frequently out of the office visiting our dozens of sites across Oʻahu and the neighbor islands but is always thinking of others.

“I don’t see him every day… but when I see him he’s great, very kind and always wants to know how we’re doing,” Sovaia says. “He shows a lot of aloha.”

Craig has organized a Safety Committee with representatives from our different programs and the PIDF administration. The committee meets monthly to discuss the month’s training theme (November’s is “Fire Safety Awareness”). Craig always finds a way to liven up the seminar and foster discussion. September’s “Driver Safety” had a particularly animated talk about the roads in Hawaiʻi and people’s driving habits.

Mahalo nui loa, Craig! We are so thankful to have you as part of the PIDF ʻohana, keeping everyone safe, informed, and being a shining example of our core value of doing things pono — doing things right, the first time, not haphazardly!

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve. ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

Located in Kapaʻau, Pili A Paʻa was created to address critical deficits in reading, math, and science for Native Hawaiian students on Hawaiʻi Island. The project seeks to build teachers’ knowledge while integrating Native Hawaiian cultural values and processes.

Ross was first introduced to PIDF by the Kohala High School principal, who mentioned Pili a Paʻa. Ross was excited for the opportunity to work for an organization helping the three schools he attended and graduated from. 

“What really inspires me about my work is I am able to give back to the community I grew up in,” says Ross. 

Brennen ‘Mana’ Pasco is a Replacement Instructor with Pili a Paʻa and has worked alongside Ross for four years. “Ross is an inspiration to me both professionally and personally,” he says. “I admire the way he carries himself day in and day out, and the way he cares for the people he is trying to help.”

Although Kohala Elementary School principal Hannah Loyola has only known Ross for four months, she praises him as a dedicated individual who “works with relentless fervor,” doing whatever it takes to provide opportunities to families to be engaged with the schools and for teachers to engage with families.

“He has been a blessing,” she says, “offering to help in any way possible.”

Hoʻomaikaʻi, Ross! We are so thankful to have you as part of the Partners in Development Foundation ʻohana, bringing your community-mindedness and aloha to all you encounter. 

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve.  ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

Dawn Taniyama is the Site Manager and Project Assistant for Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool’s Hawaiʻi Kona team. Dawn has been with Tūtū and Me for going on five years.  

“I’ve always had a passion working for keiki and families,” Dawn says. “What I love most about my job is visiting program. Just seeing the joy and the energy that my team portrays, seeing all the excitement and the smiles from the keiki and the caregivers when they’re engaged in the activities.”

Dawn is known for her gentleness, compassion, and community-mindedness, never turning down an opportunity to promote her Tūtū and Me site’s myriad of free services to families with young children in the Kailua-Kona area. 

The Hawaiʻi Kona team all echo Dawn’s commitment to community. Lead Teacher Shaleina Kekoa explains that they “are one big ʻohana and we need to be tied with our communities so that they know our program is very beneficial and plays a big impact on people’s lives.”

“Dawn is an awesome person,” Shaleina adds. “I love her work ethic and leadership skills. She’s always pushing us to go above and beyond just as individuals and as a team.”

Assessment Specialist Debbie Fukushima has known her since Dawn was a little girl, and says Dawn has grown up to be “compassionate, extremely knowledgeable, and extremely caring. Every day she demonstrates these traits at Tūtū and Me. Every day she goes above and beyond… she always gives her all,” Debbie says. 

Besides being an invaluable part of her team, Dawn is also a special person to the families that she serves. The Matsuwaki family has been coming since 2013 and says that it’s inspiring how Dawn goes out of her way to greet the keiki.

“My kids are more introverted and she’s so gentle with them, the way she approaches them she just draws them out and makes them feel comfortable with her and with Tūtū and Me,” says Pearl Matsuwaki, a mother who’s brought both of her keiki to the North Kona site.  

“We just love Aunty Dawn! She’s so sweet and so kind, she always brings a smile to my kid’s face,” says Pearl. “She epitomizes the aloha spirit and we just really appreciate that about her.”

Hoʻomaikaʻi, Dawn! We are so thankful to have you as part of the Partners in Development Foundation ʻohana!

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve.  ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

Since 2009, Aaron Mahi has been a part of the Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) Hui Nohona culture team. He helps to bring Hawaiian cultural practices and traditions to our staff and program families through his wisdom and gift for music.

‘Uncle’ Aaron is arguably most well-known throughout Hawaiʻi nei as Band Master for the Royal Hawaiian Band, a position he held from 1981 to 2005. Through his tenure there, he conducted the Band’s first appearance at the famed Carnegie Hall, the Peace Park in Hiroshima, and in 2003 earned the Medal of Merit from Germany.

Outside of his work at PIDF, Aaron is currently the Second Vice Chair of the Land Use Commission, the Director of the Kamehameha Alumni Glee Club, and is the pastor of the Makiki Community of Christ Church, among many other hats.

Aaron is a Hawaiian Renaissance soul says long-time friend and colleague Nola A. Nāhulu.

Nola is a Hawaiian choral conductor, currently the Artistic Director of the Hawaiʻi Youth Opera Chorus (HYOC) and others. She has known Aaron since their seventh grade year at Kamehameha Schools. “He understands our Hawaiian history and where he’s from, he understands Hawaiian music.”

Nola recounts a few anecdotes of her long working history with Aaron, citing many of his former and current positions. But she explains that through it all, he’s remained humble, hard working, and “very ʻoluʻolu.”

“He’s a very deep soul. He sees more than the person in front of him. He looks into the entire situation and what people contribute to each other. And always in the most positive of ways.”

Peter Young, president of the Board of Trustees for the Hawaiian Mission Houses, worked with Aaron in 2018 for a combined high school choir project. After hearing numerous people tell him the project could not be done, Peter knew he had to get the right person to conduct.

When asked, Aaron said ‘yes’ immediately and the four-school choir was a resounding success. Peter says he hopes it can be repeated in the coming years, and help students across the Islands to understand the history that connects them — something Aaron helped to organize through his efforts

“Aaron is a special person that doesn’t mind who gets the credit. He’ll do things because it’s the right thing to do.”

It’s a sentiment repeated by many who know Aaron, including his colleague Malia Scanlan. Malia is also a Hawaiian Cultural Specialist Assistant with Hui Nohona and has been working with Aaron at PIDF for almost five years.

“He doesn’t just talk about things,” explains Malia. “If he believes in something, he’ll stand up and go and do it. Malia works closely with Aaron in the Hui Nohona team, and they come up with cultural lessons for PIDF staff and program participants.

From Aaron’s regular “Hawaiian Words of the Week” segments to their recent “ʻAi Akua” series, the work of Hui Nohona embodies part of our mission and helps people to better understand and find relevance for Native Hawaiian traditions.

“Uncle Aaron is a treasure to the Hawaiian community. He opens his mouth and pearls drop,” says Malia. Malia talks about Aaron’s innate ability to explain things in a way that every individual can understand, “because it’s coming from that viewpoint of aloha, which is at his core.”

Described as an enthusiastic and engaging teacher, Aaron brings this “viewpoint of aloha” into all of his work and personal interactions.

Mahalo nui loa, Uncle Aaron, for all the incredible work you do here at Partners in Development Foundation, and in our communities!

Alana came to Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) in June of 2017. She says while looking for a change in her career she stumbled upon the open position with Hui Hoʻomalu, and that every aspect of the position spoke to her.

As a Community Liaison, Alana works diligently to spread the word about the ever-increasing need for Resource Caregivers. She and the other liaisons attend community events, speak at conferences and meetings, lead HĀNAI trainings, and also serve as a kind of ‘personal assistant’ for families who have made the decision to become Resource Caregivers.

“I get to work with and for people and families who are choosing to love beyond limitations to help a child or children in the foster care system,” says Alana. “I love that while there is a tremendous heaviness in knowing what many of the children in our foster care system have had to face and are facing, this job gives an opportunity to be a part of the lives of the families that are stepping in to help support our children in foster care.”

Gregg Tanaka is Hui Hoʻomalu’s Program Coordinator. He met Alana when she was first hired and calls her self-motivating, willing to step outside the box to spread the word and educate the West Hawaiʻi community about the great need for more foster (Resource) families.

“Alana exudes the mission of PIDF in every way,” he says, “and therefore, she is truly inspirational to the work we all do in our community!”

Outside of her work with Hui Hoʻomalu, Alana started her own church five years ago in Kona. She created the Christian group, called Life Everlasting Ministries, in the hopes of creating a space for all people to come and ‘feel like they are enough’ and to ultimately serve their community from that space.

Through her ministries, Alana’s group participated in a weekly dinner for their local homeless shelter and organized a clothing drive, where they collected donated items for a Department of Human Services (DHS) “shelf” from which foster children can take clothes for themselves.

Alana has also utilized her church’s space to hold monthly foster licensing information sessions that led to the recruitment of at least five families. Boni Grimmel, Assistant Project Director with Hui Hoʻomalu, describes a time Alana’s ingenuity received praise outside of PIDF.

“The Department of Human Services Licensing Unit, during a conference call, thanked Alana and praised her for having turned over to the Department more quality resource caregivers in the last year than in the whole three years prior to her taking this position,” recounts Boni.

Community Relations Manager Carol Hayashida says Alana is truly making an impact in West Hawai’i, saying the families Alana recruits feel genuinely cared about from the very beginning of their process to become Resource Caregivers.

“Alana takes it upon herself to do a post-licensure follow up with the family, either visiting them at their home or in the community,” Carol explains. “By doing this, the families feel cared for and supported, even during difficult times, and are better able to continue on.”

Mahalo nui loa, Alana, for all your work, from your ʻohana at Partners in Development Foundation!

“Working with Cheri is like working with your favorite Aunty,” says Terry Nakamura, Ka Paʻalana’s Program Manager. “She’s no-nonsense, has a huge heart, works super hard, and always has your back.”

‘Aunty’ Cheri has been with Partners in Development Foundation for over a decade. She started as a teacher’s assistant at the Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool before moving over to our Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program, working up the ranks to be the Family Education Coordinator for the Kakaʻako Family Assessment Center site.

“I really enjoy Ka Paʻalana because of the people I work with and the families that I serve,” she says. “I like that we are a family here and I get to help and serve… It’s not a job, it’s just helping others.”

Numerous staff cite Cheri’s absolute dedication to the Ka Paʻalana program and her unwavering love and affection for the families. She takes the time to make sure that they have enough to eat and clothes to wear, even picking up donations before reporting to work.

She goes above and beyond at her job in a number of ways, says former Outreach Assistant Arbab Khan. Arbab worked with Cheri at Ka Paʻalana for over two years, and he got to know her as a passionate and determined person who “becomes invested in the lives of those around her.”

June “Pua” Aquino is a Preschool Teacher and Cultural Curriculum Specialist with the Ka Paʻalana program. Pua says Cheri is one of the best preschool teachers she’s ever witnessed in action.

“No matter what site… she always loves all of the kids and shows them her love by giving them great big hugs and helping them in any way she can.”

Cheri doesn’t see her work with the families as a job. She says seeing the families succeed – getting their own homes, finding jobs, etc. – and seeing the keiki be successful in school is what excites her. “That’s my biggest joy.”

Ka Paʻalana staff call Cheri the heart of her team, leading with joy, aloha, and of course, humor. Go into the Ka Paʻalana office and you’ll find a poster of Cheri-isms, pidgin words or phrases she uses like “bobolani”: a nice way to say that you’re stupid (“nice because it ends with -lani”).

“I love Cheri,” Terry says. “She inspires me to want to be a better person. She cracks me up, and is such a wonderful person.”

A humble person, Aunty Cheri consistently gives her all to her staff, supervisors and Ka Paʻalana program families without ever expecting any recognition in return. While being asked questions about herself and her work, she made sure to stop and thank her team.

“I want to thank all my staff for supporting me and allowing me to be me,” she says. “For allowing me to try and help them become teachers, and assessment [specialists], and parent educators, and allowing me to help support them in their roles.”

Mahalo nui loa, Aunty Cheri, for all that you do!

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve. ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

“My goal,” says Kūʻike about his work with Kupa ʻAina, “is always to just create impact — a rediscovering of our identity through food.”

Kūʻike’s affiliation to Partners in Development Foundation started accidentally — his daughters went through the Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana preschool program several years back. When PIDF president and founder Jan Dill decided to start a program focused on sustainability in Hawaiʻi, Kūʻike was an easy choice.

Jan describes Kūʻike as a man committed to Hawaiian culture and to the role of the ʻāina in the lives of Hawaiian people. “What he does, what he is committed to, is consistent with our desire to bless our community and to help our community become resilient and healthy,” says Jan.

John “Prime” Hina has known Kūʻike for some time. Prime is the architect of 808 Urban, a Hawaiian nonprofit arts organization that seeks to teach Hawaiian cultural traditions and stories through street art.

“Kūʻike, if you can believe it or not, is one of our artists,” Prime jokes. Kūʻike is also one of the cultural specialists Prime and the rest of the 808 Urban ʻohana talks with to gain insight on projects.

On making connections to the land, Prime explains that reconnecting to the ʻāina is so much more than that. It includes the ocean, the sky, our whole environment around us. What this means for us, and what Kūʻike does through his work, is shifting perspectives.

“What [Kūʻike] is doing is contradicting what we think we know as far as land, as far as how we operate… when you put it in a Hawaiian lens, you see things differently and you move differently.”

Prime goes on to say, “Kūʻike is love. Love of land, love of culture, love of everything.”

Terry has been with Partners in Development Foundation’s Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education program for almost 12 years. He started out with the program as a Family Education Trainer and now works as a Family Literacy Trainer.

“He has a heart for serving,” Jason Kahawai says of Terry. Jason is Ka Paʻalana’s Outreach Coordinator and has known Terry since 2007. “When I met him, I recognized that when new families or families in homeless situations would come to our program, Terry would greet them all the same and provide them with all the same amount of time.”

From day one, Terry believes he’s had such a privilege to serve, walk with, and learn from the families of Ka Paʻalana. He calls himself a ‘townie’ and admits to being nervous when he first started working for the program on the west side of Oʻahu, questioning why the families would trust or let a stranger into their lives.

Curriculum Specialist Kathy Fong has known Terry since his ‘townie’ days – the families of the two grew up together at Nuʻuanu Baptist Church.

“The way he relates with people is very genuine,” Kathy says. “I feel like I can tell him anything and I won’t be judged for it, and he’ll listen and really want to help me through whatever it is I’m sharing with him.”

This same sentiment is echoed by other staff and repeated in anecdotes for how Terry works with both the staff and the families served by Ka Paʻalana. His way of looking at people on an even keel has been an invaluable trait that encourages all those he meets to take a second look at themselves and ask, ‘Am I the kind of person that can inspire someone else?’

Ka Paʻalana has four components: Mālama Mobile (first contact homeless outreach), a traveling Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) program, family education services (including life skills classes and GED prep), and ʻIke Noʻeau, a traveling preschool program providing math and science curriculum to families at shelters in Waiʻanae and Waimānalo.

The program’s overall aim is to increase the success and self-sufficiency of homeless families. It gives adults the tools they need – life skills, parenting skills, greater self-esteem – to pick themselves up and be better caregivers to their children.

“We’re not just about curriculum, you know, and setting up site,” he says. “We’re about walking with people and trying to transform lives and generations.”

Mahalo nui loa, Terry, from all of Partners in Development Foundation!

Na Makamae is our monthly segment where we recognize employees who are doing tremendous work with the children and families they serve. ‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

‘Na Makamae’ refers to those who are prized, highly valued, highly appreciated. Na Makamae are those who are endeared to us.

Our first Na Makamae is Gidget, one of our Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool’s Lead Teachers. She has been with Tūtū and me for 15 years and is a much-loved familiar face to the tūtūs and other caregivers who frequent the Kahaluʻu and Makakilo sites on Oʻahu.

“Gidget is one of the hardest working people that I know,” said Amy, an assessment specialist with Tūtū and Me and a member of Gidget’s team. “She dedicates her whole life to this job and you can see it in the way that she works with the families.”

Lei Furtado is Tūtū and Me’s data and operations manager, and she has known Gidget for almost 10 years. She recounted a time last year when Gidget was part of the Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool group that participated in last year’s Aloha Festival Floral Parade.

“It was almost like it was the Gidget parade,” Lei laughs. As they walked from Ala Moana to Waikīkī, many parents and keiki were calling out to her. “She’s built so many strong relationships while she’s been at Tūtū and Me.”

Mahalo nui loa, Gidget, from the entire PIDF ʻohana!

The One-Stop Center is WAO’s first pilot project and will aid in the successful transition of Micronesians in Hawai‘i by serving as a central hub linking the various Micronesian communities, families and individuals with public services and other resources. In addition, the center will connect the Micronesian community with federal, state and county representatives and agencies to further advocacy and self- empowerment.

Currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon, the center will expand hours of operation as the need for services grow. A warm line is available 24/7 at 754-7303.

“The Micronesia region faces many challenges such as U.S. militarization and weapons testing, loss of land from rising ocean levels, and lack of a sustainable, local food supply,” said WAO’s Program Director Josie Howard. “Limited options force many Micronesians to leave their home in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Many individuals and families legally come to Hawai‘i to seek proper medical treatment, a better education and other opportunities that are unavailable in their home community.”

Introductory services will focus on orienting newcomers from Micronesia to their new environment and supporting them with common ongoing challenges, including:

• Assistance with obtaining legal and necessary documents such as Social Security cards, State IDs, etc.
• Education on Hawai‘i laws and policies/procedures (traffic, criminal, child welfare, education, etc.)
• Pre-employment skills Housing rules and regulations
• Resource referrals
• Language translation and cross-cultural consulting
• Parent training on Hawai‘i’s education system and requirements

WAO will continue to build a full spectrum of services that include acculturation training, mentorship of other Micronesian organizations and outreach back to the Micronesian governments, among others. By partnering with other Micronesian serving organizations, WAO will be able to effectively address the needs of the community by connecting and expanding on current services available.

The call for a one-stop resource center was voiced by nearly 300 people, including Micronesians, service providers and community leaders, at the Micronesian Voices Conference held in 2008 as part of a study by the University of Hawai‘i ’s Center for Pacific Island Studies. In 2014, the call for a center came up again when Assistant Secretary Esther Kiaʻaina toured Hawai‘i to gain input from Micronesians to identify their needs as part of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) between the U.S. and the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau.

Cultural differences between Micronesia and Hawai‘i in medical care, employment, education and laws, compounded by the unfamiliarity with navigating new systems and services, has led to many challenges for the local Micronesian population. They face homelessness, a lack of job readiness skills and high numbers of student truancy, children in child welfare services, and juvenile and adult incarcerations. “The Micronesian population in Hawai‘i is a diverse group of individuals from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including Chuukese, Marshallese, Palauan, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, Chamorro, Carolinean, Nauruan, Kiribatese and Yapese,” Howard said. “Many Hawai‘i residents’ unfamiliarity with Micronesia, its different cultures and its treaty with the United States has contributed to misunderstandings and discrimination towards Micronesian people. This can at times create additional barriers for Micronesian people to feeling included and becoming successful in their new community in Hawai‘i.”

Howard is of Chuukese descent and came to Hawai‘i in 1989 to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. (She would go on to earn a master’s in social work.) In 2001, she was recruited by the Department of Education to help teachers better connect with Micronesian students and their parents. She also cofounded the Micronesian Cultural Awareness Program and spearheaded the successful pilot program Imi Loa, a program of Goodwill Industries of Hawai‘i that was funded by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations-Office of Community Services, which paired Micronesians looking for work with employers.

According to Howard, WAO’s long-term goal is to help Micronesian people and families become healthy and successful through self-sufficiency and inclusion in the local community as a whole. This can be accomplished through the sustainability of Micronesian organizations and by increasing communication and support between Hawai‘i and Micronesia, with the support of the United States Federal Government.

To learn more, visit We Are Oceania