Papakōlea Community Development Corporation
PCDC BOARD OFFICERS
PRESIDENT,
JAMES L. MO`IKEHA was born and raised on the Island of
Maui. Graduate of H.P. Baldwin High School. Received a Bachelor
of Science degree in Business Administration from University of
Denver at Denver Colorado in 1958. Employed as an Elementary School
teacher from 1958 – 1960. Mr. Mo`ikeha performed as a professional
entertainer throughout Hawai`i and abroad from 1961 to 1973. In
1961 he was also invited to join the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel
Management team which led to a 25 year long career in Hotel Management
and Executive Management positions in Hawai`i, with about 13 of
those years in Micronesia, managing hotels for Continental Airlines
and Hyatt International. Returned to Hawai`i in 1986 via the Coco
Palms Hotel on Kaua`i and started a new career in 1988 as a Business
Development Specialist for a Pacific Islands Program at the University
of Hawai`i. In 1990 he was hired by ALU LIKE, Inc., the largest
Native Hawaiian Non Profit Organization in Hawai`i as the Administrator
for their Business Development Center Program and Economic Development
Division. In August 2001, he was invited by the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints to join the Church’s Welfare
Program as its manager for the Honolulu Employment Resource Services
Center.
VICE-PRESIDENT,
BEN HAILI POKIPALA. Mr. Pokipala is currently serving
his 14th year as Senior Consultant at R. Weinstein Pharmaceuticals
& Medical Products serving in the Physician Office/ Alternate
Care market based in Honolulu, Hawai`i. His sales territorial
coverage includes O`ahu, Maui, the Big Island, Guam, Saipan, Ponape,
Yap, Palau, Marshall Islands and American Samoa. At the 1999 HIDA
Convention in Chicago, he was recognized as the MPS National Medical
Product Sales Representative of the Year. Haili currently serves
as a Board Member of the Kula no na Po`e Hawai`i a non-profit
community based association based in Honolulu, Hawai`i. This organization
is organized to develop and implement programs to provide more
opportunities to improve the health, welfare, education and economic
well-being of the Hawaiian community members of Papakōlea, Kewalo,
and Kalawahine. Having attended the University of Hawai`i Campus
at Manoa and the Brigham Young University Hawai`i Campus, Haili
has a Travel Industry Management Degree from BYU-Hawai`i. Haili
worked previously in various sales and marketing positions for
14 years promoting travel to and within the state of Hawai`i.
He served formerly as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing
for the Polynesian Cultural Center, Club Manager of the Honolulu
Health and Fitness Social Club and a Tour and Convention Coordinator
with Tradewind Tours of Hawai`i. He served an LDS Church Mission
in Southeast Mexico and enjoys good music, volleyball, family
genealogical research and all ocean wave sports.
SECRETARY,
RICHARD SOO is a consultant to the Department of Education’s
Office of Business Services, Facilities & Support Services
Branch, Safety & Security Section as an Oahu Operations Manager
School Safety Manager Program since February 2003. He received
an Associate’s Degree from Honolulu Community College in
Fire Science in 1984. He has also attended the Emergency Management
Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy (NFA). He has been
involved with the Honolulu Fire Department for 27 progressive
years between Jan 1976 to April 1998. He served as a Fire Fighter
1 for the first eighteen years, later became a Fire Fighter 2
as a Fire Inspector in the FPB and then to Fire Fighter 3 in 1995
where he remained with the Fire Protection Bureau (FPB). From
May 1998 he was promoted to Fire Captain where up until Jan 2003
he also was the first full-time Public Information Officer (PIO)
of the Honolulu Fire Department while serving as the administrative
captain of the HFD's Fire Prevention Bureau (FPB) where he supervised
field inspectors and the FPB's Plans Examining Section.
In addition, he has volunteered as a Community Relations Assistant
for a period of 8 years being involved in activities from streamlining
the Easter Seals Fun Run/Walk to coauthored Fire Safety Guide
for Grades K–6 as well as the Senior Citizens Guide.
TREASURER,
ERIC KEAWE. Raised in Papakōlea, Eric was born on April
19, 1956 and is the 11th child of Edward and Genoa Keawe. He attended
the Papakōlea
pre-school program with grandma Kamealii Kalama. Soon thereafter,
he attended Lincoln Elementary School, Robert Louis Stevenson
Intermediate and later graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High
School 1974. His post-high school education HCC, KCC then Brigham
Young University - Hawaii Campus. Served as a Missionary 1977
to 1979 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in
Alberta, Canada.
His professional experience accolades have always been in the
area of Finance which have included working for Paradise Management
Corporation as an IRS Clerk (1980 – 1981) and Transamerica
Commercial Finance Corporation (1981 – 1994). Since 1994
he has been a Health Insurance Agent for New York Life Insurance
Licensed 6 and 63 Securities (Mutual Funds and Annuities).
His designations include: Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow,
Certification for Long Term Care, National Association of Financial
Advisors Member - NAIFA
Along with the insurance profession he manages the family entertainment
business at Genoa Keawe Records, Inc. He is also an active leader
in church, community and business associations.
PCDC BOARD DIRECTORS
KAREN UMEMOTO has worked in the area of community
development for the past 25 years in California and Hawai`i. She
is an associate professor at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa
in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and teaches courses
in community economic development, social policy and community
planning. She received her doctorate from MIT in Urban Studies
and her master's degree from UCLA in Asian American Studies. She
facilitates strategic planning with community organizations and
conducts research on various community issues. She is also an
affiliate faculty with the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence
Prevention Center at the UH Medical School.
LAVONNE SEXTON Born in San Jose, California of Native Hawaiian-Apache-Mexican lineage, Lavonne M. Ka`iulani Richardson Sexton is the firstborn of Robert Ochoa of Modesto, California and Juliette Kalama Russell Richardson of Maunawili, O`ahu. She was raised by her mom and her dad, E. Ko`ikuaiwohikalani Richardson, both of whom have
ANNIE
AUHOON
