Eileen "Momi" Naughton is NHERC Heritage Center coordinator

The College of Continuing Education and Community Service (CCECS) announces the selection of Dr. Eileen “Momi” Naughton as the Heritage Center coordinator for the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo North Hawaiʻi Education & Research Center (NHERC) in Honoka‘a.

As the Heritage Center coordinator, Naughton will be responsible for developing and operating the Heritage Center, acquiring and overseeing management and care of collections and curatorial and pedagogical activities, developing and delivering programming to support preservation and dissemination of North Hawai‘i history and heritage; overseeing fundraising and marketing efforts, coordinating student research and instructing an occasional credit or non-credit class.

“The addition of a Heritage Center to NHERC will add to the quality of offerings that NHERC currently provides,” noted NHERC Director Farrah-Marie Gomes. “In addition to offering post-secondary credit and non-credit courses, NHERC serves as a community center and meeting place for groups in the region.

“Preservation of the area’s heritage is important to the North Hawai‘i region because of the economic changes the community has experienced in the last few decades,” she added. “We are thrilled that Dr. Naughton is excited about helping the community be able to protect and preserve its rich history, culture, and heritage so that it can be passed on to future generations.”

Naughton holds a Ph.D. in communication with emphasis in visual communications in museum and heritage interpretation from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.