What advice would you give to your younger self?
When a colleague tells you that something called the Internet will be a game changer, believe them immediately! Looking back, I have been fortunate to have had many things that seemed like setbacks at the time turn out to be beneficial in the long run. As a result, I would tell my younger self not to be too discouraged when things don’t go as planned. Sometimes, you will learn a valuable lesson that will lead to success in the future, and in other instances, it will lead to new life-changing opportunities.

How do you give back to your community?
One of HPU’s core values is kuleana, and I, along with our entire university community, strongly believe it’s our responsibility to give back to the broader community through providing educational opportunities to our keiki o ka ‘āina and partnering with people and organizations to help improve Hawaiʻi. I am especially proud to have led our partnership with Kamehameha Schools to provide their students with the opportunity to take college credits while in high school.

Today, we have over 1,000 students participating in the program. It was incredibly rewarding and moving to award approximately 70 of them associate degrees at our spring commencement ceremony, around the same time they received their high school diplomas. I have no doubt it will be life-changing for them and their families, and I am truly honored and humbled to have played a role in this.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Working to make a difference in the lives of our students, the University, and the community, particularly by championing innovation and fostering an entrepreneurial culture to create new programs and opportunities, is especially gratifying for me. I am dedicated to empowering individuals to think creatively, value collaboration, and embrace diverse viewpoints and new ideas.

In the supportive environment we have created at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, our ‘ohana of staff and faculty are encouraged to experiment and take risks without fear, allowing us to feel comfortable adjusting and adapting as needed in our shared journey. While failure is a part of growth, our collective goal is to advance HPU to benefit our students and the broader community. As a result, we have been able to be nimble and start innovative programs, particularly in the STEM and health science areas, leading to a 23 percent increase in students over a 5-year period.

Are there any exciting projects coming up in your career?
I am excited about the opportunities of our new Las Vegas site, which opened in August, featuring our Graduate College of Health Sciences programs, the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). Our professors deliver these programs in a hybrid, accelerated 24-month schedule, primarily online, with short-term intensive on-site labs, and weave our values of pono, kuleana, and aloha into the curriculum. Our expansion into Las Vegas allows a wider group of individuals to experience HPU’s unique education and become part of our ‘ohana. In addition to the already launched OTD and DPT programs in Honolulu, in January 2025, we will welcome our first cohort of Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant program students.

How do you support local businesses?
I highly value our collaborations with local businesses and organizations, and we look to partner with them in ways that serve our community. Most recently, we partnered with the General Contractors Association of Hawai‘i along with Trade Media Hui to create Hawaiʻi’s first Master of Science in Construction Management degree. Working with industry leaders, we developed a program that meets the needs of businesses and brought it to fruition within a year. We hope this program will be a model for working with industry leaders to improve businesses in Hawai‘i.