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Kamakakūokalani

FACULTY

& STAFF

WORLD CLASS INDIGENOUS LEADERS

At Kamakakūokalani, our exceptional faculty and staff inspire students daily through collaborative research, engaging coursework, and meaningful interactions, fostering a dynamic and enriching academic community.

Mana‘o from the Director

Welina mai me ke aloha i ka ʻāina. E like me ka noʻeau kaulana a kō kākou kupuna, ʻo ʻEliʻeli Kūlana o ʻĀinaʻike. Ua manomano, a lipolipo ka ʻike o nā kūpuna. E kilo me Kamakakūokalani a pae ka moku ma ka ʻāina aloha. 

Kamakakūokalani has been a piko for our movement for aloha ʻāina, the liberation for kānaka, and the restoration of our ʻāina and resources–for more than twenty-years. Our graduates have become kīpuka for their communities, in professional fields and academic disciplines locally and across our world. Look around at transformative change for Hawaiʻi, whether it be in cultural and political advocacy, Hawaiian Culture-based and Charter education, regenerative and circular economics, marine resource management, watershed protection, mālama ʻiwi kūpuna, lāʻau lapaʻau, the restoration of loʻi and loko iʻa, Ea & the Law, Indigenous planning, art, design, and fashion—you will likely see our graduates and kumu nearby. If you want to make an impact for Hawaiʻi and our world, come and study with us. We are committed to justice, liberation, and aloha ʻāina. With 200 generations of ancestral knowledge as our foundation, Kamakakūokalani can be a piko that sets your vision for your role in the next 200 generations to come.

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FACULTY

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DIRECTOR

Kamanamaikalani Beamer

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GRADUATE CHAIR

Leilani Basham

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Associate Professor

Malia Akutagawa

Associate Specialist

Konia Freitas

Librarian II

Hinaikawaihiilei Keala

Associate Professor

Kekuewa Kikiloi

Instructor

Mehana Makainai

Instructor

Keola Ryan

Instructor

Wyatt Souza

Instructor

Keoki Baclayon

Instructor

Manu Kaʻiama

Instructor

Kaipulaumakaniolono K. Keala

Assistant Professor

Kamaoli Kuwada

Associate Professor

Noelani Puniwai

Associate Professor

E. A. Kaliko Spenser

Assistant Professor

Kawēlau Wright

Associate Professor

April Drexel

Professor

Lilikalā Kameʻeleihiwa

Associate Professor

Lia O'Neill M.A. Keawe

Instructor

Makanani Lopes

Assistant Professor

Lorinda Riley

Instructor

Beau Shishido

STAFF

Educational Specialist

Abraham K. Alama

Academic Advisor

Lehua Nishimura

Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist

Jeong Ku Hwang

Administrative Assistant

Ardi Vesnefski

Facilities Manager

Kaulana Mayo

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Hau do you envision
your future

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