Faculty and Staff
Makena Coffman
Director
Makena Coffman serves in a dual capacity as the Director for the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience and a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Her research interests are in climate change policy, including greenhouse gas mitigation, alternative transportation strategies, and climate adaptation. She specializes in regional economy-environment modeling with applications to energy policy, climate change mitigation, and sea level rise adaptation. Professor Coffman is a Research Fellow with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization, holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University (2002) and a PhD in Economics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2007). To contact Professor Coffman, please email makena.coffman@hawaii.edu.
Ketty Loeb
Faculty (Assistant Professor)
Ketty Loeb is a faculty member in the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience. With nearly two decades of professional experience spanning academia, the public, non-profit, and private sectors, she offers a wealth of knowledge about sustainability and resilience strategies both locally and globally. Her research interests include climate change adaptation and mitigation, philanthropy and civil society capacity building, social movements, and politics in the Asia Pacific. She has raised and managed $70M in programmatic and research grants during her career. Doctor Loeb holds a BA in Asian Studies from University of Puget Sound (1997) and an MA and PhD in Political Science from University of Washington (2014). To contact Doctor Loeb, please email kloeb@hawaii.edu.
Leah Bremer
Associate Director
Leah Bremer is the Associate Director for the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience and a Faculty Associate Specialist with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) Water Resources Research Center (WRRC). She is interested in policies and strategies to support land and water management and planning for multiple cultural, socio-economic, hydrologic, and ecological benefits. Her work includes interdisciplinary and collaborative projects related to community-based agroforestry, groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and ecosystem compensation programs, including water funds, Payments for Ecosystem Services, and Nature-based Solutions mechanisms. She is also a cooperating faculty member with the departments of Geography and Environment and Natural Resources and Environmental Management. She holds a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, an MS in Conservation Biology from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and Macquarie University (Australia) and a PhD in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State University. To contact Dr. Bremer, please email lbremer@hawaii.edu.
Conrad Newfield
Climate Impacts Researcher
Conrad Newfield is an RCUH researcher working as the Climate Impacts Research Specialist under Dr. Makena Coffman for the Institute of Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He graduated with a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UH Mānoa in 2023 and worked for two years as a graduate assistant in ISR. He conducts and supports research on responses to and the economic impacts of sea level rise and coastal erosion in Hawaiʻi. Conrad received B.S.s in Applied Mathematics and Engineering Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (2020). To contact Conrad, please email conrad4@hawaii.edu.
Angela Amantite
Graduate Assistant
Angela is a master’s student in the Department of Geography and the Environment with interests in Oahu’s unique food systems and use of subsidized labor in small organic farms in Hawaiʻi. In her role as Graduate Assistant, Angela supports coordination of sustainability and resiliency curriculum, research and outreach across campus. Angela is the first BAM (Bachelors and Masters in 5 years pathway) student and is continuing. Angela has worked in the field of environmental education across Oahu with various non-profits, in classrooms, nature and field trips throughout the islands to educate keiki and nurture the leaders and conservationists of tomorrow. Angela received her BA in Sustainability from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2023). To contact Angela, please email amantite@hawaii.edu.
The ISR Curriculum Committee
- Simon Bussiere, Assistant Professor, Representing the School of Architecture
- Michael Cooney, Researcher, Representing the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
- Oceana Francis, Professor, Representing the College of Engineering
- Jennifer Kagan, Assistant Professor, Representing the College of Social Sciences
- Kekuewa Kikiloi, Associate Professor, Representing Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge
- Xiaodan Mao-Clark, Assistant Professor, Representing Shidler College of Business
- Summer Maunakea, Assistant Professor, Representing College of Education
- Scott Schimmel, Associate Professor, Representing the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters
- Tamara Ticktin, Professor, Representing the College of Natural Sciences
- Mark Wright, Specialist, Representing the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
Past Healy Foundation Climate Change Fellows
2021–2022: Ryan Ringuette
2020–2021: Rachael Han
Graduate Assistants and Researchers
Hannah Lawrence
Graduate Assistant
Hannah Lawrence is a master’s student in the department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering with an interest in coastal processes, sea level rise, and climate adaptation for coastal communities. She is working with Professor Oceana Francis and ISR to develop an engineering cost analysis for adaptation strategies for sea level rise in Hawaiʻi. Hannah received her BS in Oceanography and Earth Science at Oregon State University (2019) where she studied coastal geomorphology, sediment transport, and coastal management. In her free time, Hannah enjoys playing tennis, rock climbing, and surfing. To contact her, please email hlawrenc@hawaii.edu.
Joseph Eshun
Graduate Assistant
Joseph is a Ph.D student in the Economics Department and a Graduate Assistant with ISR. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana and a Master of Arts Degree in Economics from Shandong University, Jinan-China. As a graduate student with the ISR, he supports and conducts research surrounding on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS) and property transactions in Hawaiʻi. In his free time, he likes to play soccer. To contact Joseph, please email jeshun@hawaii.edu.
Tanya Dreizin
Graduate Assistant
Tanya Dreizin is a PhD student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Graduate Assistant at ISR. She received her M.A. in Global Leadership and Sustainable Development from Hawaiʻi Pacific University (2019), and worked at the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi for almost five years before continuing her education at UH Mānoa. Her research interests include managed retreat and climate justice. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, rock climbing, and reading.
Ryland Lubin
Graduate Assistant
Ryland is pursuing a Masters degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management while serving as a Graduate Assistant at ISR. His research interests lie in community based coastal resource management, and will be supporting the development and reporting of SLR adaptation plans at ISR. With a BA in Sustainability from SDSU, he is excited to work with his community in understanding environmental issues and developing holistic solutions. In his free time, Ryland enjoys spending time outside with friends, surfing, hiking, skiing, and playing music. To contact him, please email lubinr31@hawaii.edu.
Julianne Luong
Graduate Assistant
Julianne is pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning while serving as a graduate assistant with ISR. Her research interests include sustainable development, community planning, indigenous land issues, and policy implementation. She is working on a research project about municipal climate action plans across the US with Professor Kagan. In 2024, she received a BA from the University of California, San Diego in Environmental Systems with an environmental policy concentration. In San Diego, she focused her efforts on project implementation and community engagement around composting, waste reduction, and food security. You can find Julianne cooking, trying a new cafe or restaurant, or hitting the gym in her free time. To contact her, please email jmluong@hawaii.edu.
Prabha Regmi
Graduate Assistant
Prabha is a master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and a graduate assistant at the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience (ISR). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. After completing her undergraduate studies, Prabha gained hands-on experience in community-based forest management, which sparked her passion for sustainable land management and community planning. With ISR, she is working on assessing the effectiveness of wildfire mitigation measures in Hawaii. In her free time, Prabha enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. To contact Prabha, please email prabha@hawaii.edu.
Izzy Roberson
Graduate Assistant
Izzy is a master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and a Graduate Assistant with ISR. Her interests include climate adaptation and food systems, especially as they relate to sea level rise. Prior to starting her masters, Izzy was an AmeriCorps VISTA with the City’s Resilience Office, where she supported the development of the City’s first climate adaptation strategy through research and community engagement. Izzy really enjoys the color purple and playing sports in her free time. She received her BA in Urban Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (2020). To contact Izzy, please email irobe@hawaii.edu.
Renee Setter
Graduate Assistant
Renee is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environment with research interests in GIS and climate change projections. As a Graduate Assistant in ISR, she conducts geospatial analyses to support research on sea level rise and climate hazards in Hawaiʻi. Renee’s PhD research focuses on projected climate change impacts on coral reefs. She received her BS in Interdisciplinary Studies at Cornell University (2013) and her MA in Geography and Environment from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2019). In her free time, she enjoys running, surfing, diving, and playing music. To contact Renee, please email rsetter@hawaii.edu.
Kammie Tavares
Graduate Assistant
Kammie Tavares is a PhD student in the Department of Urban Regional and Planning and a graduate research assistant in ISR. Her research interests are in coastal management and climate adaptation, especially for vulnerable communities in Hawaiʻi. She holds a BS in Global Environmental Sciences (2018) and a Masters in Geology and Geophysics (2020) from UH Mānoa. Kammie previously worked in the Climate Resilience Collaborative (formerly known as the Coastal Geology Group) as a Geospatial Analyst studying coastal erosion and sea level rise in Hawaiʻi. She is excited to weave her knowledge and experience in the earth science department with her growing knowledge and experience in the planning department into her research. To contact Kammie, please email kdat@hawaii.edu.
Undergraduate Researchers
Kimberly Ortiz
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kimberly is an undergraduate student in the Interdisciplinary BA in Sustainability program. She is a Sea level rise research assistant in ISR, working on the goal of creating public tools to measure the State of Hawaiʻi’s climate change adaptation progress specifically within sea level rise. She is passionate about educating the public on how important our ocean is and encouraging others to join the fight against climate change. Her favorite animal is the mako shark, and in her free time you can find her at the beach, hiking, and backpacking. She hopes to help educate others about things they can do to help fight climate change and keep our ocean ecosystem healthy. To contact Kimberly, please email kdortiz@hawaii.edu.
Iokepa Frederick
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Iokepa Frederick is a summer intern in the Institute of Sustainability and Resilience and an undergraduate with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies Sustainability. His research conducted throughout the summer will see him develop a public, online database containing information about sea level rise. In his free time he enjoys going to the beach, playing video games, and hanging out with friends. To contact Iokepa, please email iokepafr@hawaii.edu.