Ho‛okāko‛o Board Members
Pualani S. Akaka, Chair
Retired Public School Educator
Pualani Akaka, resident of Molokai, graduated from the Kamehameha Schools (HSD), Illinois Wesleyan University (BFA), and University of Hawaii (Certificate in Public Administration and Professional Diploma in Elementary Education). She received her Master of Arts in Administration and Curriculum from Gonzaga University, and is a National Board Certified Teacher (2011-2021). Retiring in 2016 with 26 years in Hawaii's public schools of Nanakuli Elementary (1989 -1999) and Kualapuu Elementary (1999- 2016), Pualani currently serves as a Director and Archives Chair of the Rev. Akaka Ministries Foundation; Chairperson of Ka Hale Pomaika'i ( a place of recovery for persons suffering from alcohol and drug addiction) and Secretary of the Hook Chu Cemetery Association. She also enjoys volunteering at Kualapuu, reading, gardening, and playing ukulele and the autoharp, especially for her granddaughter.
Jonathan Ching, Vice Chair
Director, Government Relations
Kaiser Permanente
Jonathan Ching was born and raised in Pearl City, Oahu. He is a proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, Lewis & Clark College (B.A.), and the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law (J.D.). He currently is the Government Relations Manager for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. In this role, he develops and shapes strategy regarding government relations issues in collaboration with regional leadership. He also represents Kaiser Permanente before community, governmental, and regulatory bodies. Jonathan also serves on the City & County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission and on the Blue Planet Foundation’s Young Ambassador Board. He is also a proud member and officer of the King Kamehameha Hawaiian Civic Club. He lives in Honolulu with his wife. During his free time he enjoys surfing, cooking, and trying new restaurants.
Kumau Pineda-Akiona, Secretary
Attorney at Law
In Motion Design Inc.
“I truly believe that sound education fundamentals make all career opportunities possible and that these fundamentals need to be developed at an early age. When I first heard about Hoʻokākoʻo, I was impressed by the vision to enhance educational outcomes for students and to enrich underserved communities through a more collaborative approach. As a Hoʻokākoʻo Board member, I am part of a team improving public education in Hawaiʻi.”
Kumau was raised on Moloka'i and has significant experience in the areas of real estate litigation, business disputes, and trust and estate litigation.
Ivan Takushi, Treasurer
Controller
PVT Land Company
Ivan Takushi graduated from Aiea High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration (with a specialization in Accounting) from the University of Hawaii West Oahu, and obtained his Master of Accounting degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Ivan worked for a local CPA firm for 12 years and received his CPA certification from the State of Hawaii in 2011. He audited various not-for-profit organizations and governmental entities and became familiar with Ho’okako’o’s vision and mission while performing audits of the organization and its Charter Schools. Since 2017, Ivan has been the Controller for the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and oversees the Center’s accounting department. In his free time, Ivan enjoys watching sporting events, going to the beach, and spending time with his family.
Dr. Kealoha Fox
Senior Manager, Social Health Integration
AlohaCare
Kealoha Fox applies Indigenous innovation for collaborative solutions in business, science, and policy and is a Kanaka Maoli advocate based in Hawai‘i. Dr. Kealoha Fox works at AlohaCare, a non-profit health plan in Hawai‘i where she oversees organizational initiatives serving Native Hawaiians among the Medicaid and Medicare populations across all islands. She is co-author of the books Mana Lāhui Kānaka: Mai nā kūpuna kahiko mai a hiki i kēia wā and Haumea: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Women and Empowering Wāhine Well-Being focusing on Indigenous resilience through a Polynesian worldview. Her scholarship on the conceptualizations of illness and disease was published in 2022 by UNESCO in a book which honors The International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL2022-2032). A graduate of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, she is the recipient of more than 60 awards and distinctions. In 2022 she was named one of the 20 leaders to follow for the next 20 years by Hawaii Business Magazine, a candidate for the prestigious Pritzker Environmental Genius Award, and received a Congressional Commendation by the 117th Congress for her work toward health equity during the pandemic. Each year, Kealoha mentors dozens of young women of color inside and outside of the academy. As a Native Hawaiian woman, Kealoha has been deeply and purposefully trained by esteemed community elders in traditional and ancient Native Hawaiian practices and protocol such as ho‘oponopono, hāhā, and lā‘au lapa‘au. More important than any accolade or achievement, the roles she is most proud of in her story thus far is as a mother and steadfast protector of the place she loves the most, Hawai‘i.
Mary Komomua
Licensed Social Worker
Kaiser Permanente
Mary Komomua, raised in Nanakuli, is a social worker with over 15 years of experience. Mary is a proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Whittier College, and the University of Hawaii, where she received an MA in Social Work, concentrating in Mental Health.
Her passion for community service is reflected in several initiatives she spearheaded, all focusing on supporting vulnerable keiki and their ohana. She is dedicated to empowering and improving the emotional well-being of Hawaii’s children.
For fun, Mary loves to bake and spend time with her family and cat, Kukui.
Susan Maddox
Executive Team Leader
Hawaii Friends of the Future
Susan has served in the nonprofit sector in Hawaiʻi for more than 40 years, the last 25 as Executive Team Leader for Friends of the Future. She brings in depth experience in the early childhood education field, and is a passionate advocate for giving children the very best start in life, a rich educational experience and the skills to become Hawaiʻi's future leaders. Susan serves on a number of nonprofit Boards in addition to her recent addition to the Hoʻokākoʻo Board. She lives in Holualoa on Hawaii Island and has four adult daughters, 11 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
David Y. Gibson
Executive Director, Ho'okāko'o Corporation
Governing Board Member (non-voting)
David Gibson has over 27 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and administration, project management and fund development serving youth and their families within Hawaii's most challenged communities. With a background in counseling and human services, he has created partnerships with Hawaii's public schools, juvenile justice organizations, and community agencies that provided prevention and intervention programs and services to equip, empower and build resiliency in our youth.