Meet the Board

Hannah Kihalani Springer, President, Hawai’i Representative

Hannah is a life-long student of the cultural and natural histories of Hawai’i. She lives with her family on the their homestead, Kukui’ohiwai at Ka’ūpūlehu, North Kona where their primary interest is homesteading and improving their ability to feed family and friends.

Hannah enjoys the lava lands and remaining dryforest of the northwest flank of her Hualālai home. The halapepe, the ‘aiea, the ‘ūlei, the mehame, and their cohorts are the plants, in addition to the table and ‘imu garden varieties, which fetch her family’s attention. Living within their personal and collective means is a pet issue for the Springer ‘ohana. “We still collect water off of our roofs and store it in water tanks to meet the needs of our household, garden, and livestock. We are fiscal conservatives who liken our wallets to our water tanks ... what can come out of them depends upon what has gone in to them.”

CCH has been a part of Hannah’s family lives since the days when my father-in-law, Quentin Tomich, was involved in the 1970s. According to Hannah: “Hands-on, service projects abound here at home, and are nicely complimented by the political and educational advocacy of CCH. I suggest that my commitment to conservation began with my first drink of water from my great-great grandparents’ water tank that serves us still. We also hang our laundry in the same spot that my grandparents did. Our children, who are college students here in Hawai’i nei, both spent the summer of 2009 working in resources management here on our home mountain of Hualālai. For recreation, we paddle upon and dive and bodysurf the same waters that our ancestors knew, in view of and within walking distance from Kukui’ohiwai. And from Kukui’ohiwai, aloha nui to you.”

Julie Leialoha, Vice-President, Hawai'i Representative

Ms. Leialoha has had an extensive career in natural resource management that began as an intern while still attending high school at the Kamehameha Schools in the mid-1970s. As an avid surfer and hiker, she managed to turn her love for the outdoors into a commitment to protect Hawai'i's environment. "My early intentions where to simply make a living hiking and camping so I could surf in isolated locations," she laughs. After being told that was not possible by parents, counselors, and friends, she turned her pipe dream into reality. Attending Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, she utilized her knowledge of the ocean to study marine biology where she focused on identifying marine invertebrates. "All life begins with the tiniest of creatures, and I became fascinated with the thousands of different types of organisms that inhabit our oceans."

Upon completing her science degree Ms. Leialoha was recruited by NOAA's Endangered Marine Mammals Program in Honolulu, where she ventured to Laysan Atoll and French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands long before they were designated as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. There she worked on recovering the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal – a conservation imperative she continues to support to this day.

Her career took a detour into managing native Hawaiian forest when she was recruited by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Resource Management Division's iconic botanist and resource manager, Tim Tunison. "I couldn't figure out why he wanted me in the division, since I didn't know anything about plants. His response was, "If you can identify plankton, plants are a breeze." It was during this period that Ms. Leialoha realized there was a lot more to management than just pulling weeds in the field, and she became active in local politics, focusing on issues pertaining to resource management, including an unsuccessful bid for Hawai'i County Council on the Big Island of Hawai'i where she resides. "I lost by 89 votes, can you believe that?" she laughs. She intended to run again in the next election, but fate took another turn as she was severely injured in a helicopter crash while working in the Manuka Natural Area Reserve. After 5-years of intense rehabilitation, Ms. Leialoha returned to what she loves – protecting Hawai'i's native resources. She currently manages the Wao Kele O Puna Forest Reserve on the Big Island, a joint project between the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

When CCH approached Ms. Leialoha about re-joining the board, she was more than enthusiastic. In the past, she served as CCH President for three years and currently serves as our Vice President after stepping down from the board for a year after serving two -3-year terms on the board. "I believe strongly in CCH. Though we are a relatively small organization, we play an important role in educating the public and government leaders on environmental issues, and speaking on behalf of Hawaiian wildlife. We have a good orking relationship with many of our elected officials and non-government organizations. This will likely be a life long journey for me."

Maka’ala Kaaumoana, Secretary, Kaua’i Representative

Maka’ala was born in Kāne’ohe, educated in Hawai’i, the Marianas Islands, and California. A career in nursing and public education was supplemented with stints on various environmental organization boards and involvement in community issues. She returned home in 1988 to enjoy an early retirement, practice her pottery skills, and follow her muse in Hā’ena, Kaua’i. Dreams of days at the beach quickly faded as local community issues drew her back into political activism and advocacy. Today, she is the Executive Director of the Hanalei Watershed Hui, a 501(c)(3) community-based organization in Hanalei guiding a Watershed Action Plan developed to address various environmental, cultural, and economic issues of the Hanalei Bay Area. She is also Vice-Chair of Hui Ho’omalu I Ka ‘Āina, a founding member of Hui Maka’āinana o Makana, a member of the LIMU Coalition, the Hawai’i Community Stewardship Network, the Kaua’i Representative on the Marine and Coastal Zone Advocacy Council for Hawai’i and the Kaua’i Neighbor Island Governor’s Advisory Council.

Maka’ala is a student of hula and practices traditional arts and crafts. Her husband is a lawai’a in Hanalei. She looks forward to learning more about state issues and providing Kaua’i input to CCH programs and decision-making.

Rick Kaponowaiwaiola Barboza, Treasurer, O'ahu Representative

Rick is a General Partner with Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a thriving nursery and landscaping company that focuses primarily on the propagation and installation of native Hawaiian plants. HKMO implements contract work with various state and federal agencies to perform habitat restorations within Hawai'i's numerous types of ecosystems. The nursery also provides native plants to private and commercial landscapers, hotels and resorts, and retail outlets, such as the Home Depot.

Rick graduated from the Kamehameha School in 1993; obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from the University of Hawai'i in 1999, with a primary focus on Hawai'i's natural history and the conservation of native biota; co-founded Hui Ku Maoli Ola in 1999; and served on the Board of Directors for the Honolulu Botanical Gardens in 2002. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Conservation Council of Hawai'i and the Landscape Industry Council of Hawai'i, and is on the Executive Council of Ka Mauli Hou (Formerly Hawai'i Restoration and Conservation Initiative) and the Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter. Rick is also one of the founding directors of Papahana Kuaola, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to create quality education programs focused on Hawai'i's cultural and natural history integrated with Hawaiian knowledge. He was the primary contributor to In The Garden, a weekly column in the former Honolulu Star-Bulletin that ran on Fridays from June 2002 to 2009.

Robin Kaye, At-large Lana'i Representative

Robin lives on the Hawaiian island of Lana'i. In 1974, he and his wife moved to Lana'i to document a threatened lifestyle as the island was facing a transition from a pineapple plantation economy to resort development. While that shift was postponed until the late 1980s, Robin's resulting book of photographs – Lana'i Folks – was published by the University of Hawai'i Press in 1981 and subsequently reprinted in 2010 by the Lana'i Culture and Heritage Center.

In 1981, Robin began a career in the arts and nonprofit sectors, working for the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In 1992, he and a partner launched the management consulting firm of Dewey & Kaye, Inc. (DKI), which works with nonprofit organizations, foundations and government agencies. Robin's work with nonprofits has involved board development, long range planning, and executive searches for foundation program staff and nonprofit executive directors. He was deeply involved in the conception, launch and implementation of a five-year, million dollar community grants program for an international corporate foundation. He is also a certified meeting facilitator.

Robin moved back to Lana'i in 2005. He serves as spokesperson for Friends of Lana'i and provides consulting services to the Lana'i Youth Center, Lana'i Culture and Heritage Center, Coalition for a Drug Free Lana'i, and the Lana'i Community Health Center. He served on the Hulopo'e Park Beach Council and is a member of Lanaians for Sensible Growth (LSG) and the Lana'i Arts Center. He has a BA from the George Washington University, and served in Peace Corps/Malaysia.

Koalani Kaulukukui, O'ahu Representative

Koa Kaulukukui works at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs ("OHA") where she assists with managing OHA's landholdings and focuses on ceded land issues. Prior to working at her current position, Ms. Kaulukukui was an associate for Earthjustice's Honolulu office where she use used the legal process to protect Native Hawaiian rights, freshwater resources, and endangered species. Immediately following law school, Ms. Kaulukukui worked for OHA's Native Rights Land and Culture division, where she assisted in protecting Native Hawaiian rights from the impacts of development. During law school, Koa externed at Hawai'i's Department of Land of Natural Resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, Earthjustice's Honolulu office, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. William S. Richardson School of Law Class of 2006 with a Certificate in Environmental Law.

Lida Pigott Burney, Kaua'i Representative