Claire L. Asam, PhD
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees of Lili‘uokalani Trust
Claire L. Asam, PhD has long been a committed advocate for “Nā Pua o Hawai‘i Nei”, the children of Hawai‘i. Her professional career began at the Kamehameha Schools (KS) where she educated Native Hawaiian children. She remained at the schools for 25 years in teaching, research, and administrative positions including director of training and dissemination for the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) which helped teachers in Hawaiian communities improve their students’ literacy achievement. During her tenure she also contributed to efforts in extending the reach of Kamehameha’s educational systems through partnerships with the State Department of Education and the establishment of Kamehameha’s Maui and Hawai‘i campuses. Focused on working with Hawaiian children, Dr. Asam moved from Kamehameha Schools to become the president and executive director of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center (QLCC). Under her leadership QLCC impacted thousands of Hawaiians, orphans and impoverished children across the state annually by helping to strengthen families and build healthy communities. Then in 2007 Dr. Asam was named a trustee of the Lili‘uokalani Trust. In addition to her Trust responsibilities, she continues to volunteer her expertise in support of education and community boards including the HKL Castle Foundation Board of Directors, and the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health Dean’s Advisory Council. Dr. Asam was named Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scout Council of Hawai‘i, received the I Ulu Ke Kumu award from the Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, and honored as a Distinguished Alumna by the University of Hawai‘i and the Kamehameha Schools for her dedication to Hawai‘i’s children.
Michael Champion, MD
Senior Advisor, Mental Health and the Justice System in the Hawai’i Governor’s Office
Michael Champion, MD is the Senior Advisor for Mental Health and the Justice System in the Hawai’i Governor’s Office.
He has extensive experience in healthcare administration, legislative consulting and advocacy services, and civil and criminal forensic psychiatry. In his role as a senior advisor to Governor Josh Green, Dr.Champion helps lead the state’s cross-agency initiatives on mental health and justice reform. Dr. Champion holds an M.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he completed his residency at Harvard Medical School and a fellowship at Yale University.
Senator (Ret.) Susie Chun Oakland
Program Coordinator, Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center
Senator (Ret.) Suzanne Chun Oakland has served her community with dedication throughout her life. She currently is the Program Coordinator for Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center. In her 26 years of service in the Hawai‘i State Legislature, she has been a leading advocate for children, the elderly, families and underserved communities. She served as Chair of the House and Senate Committees on Human Services for most of her career. She focused on child welfare, adult protection, long term care, Medicaid, affordable housing, public housing, vocational rehabilitation, public assistance, and early childhood education and care. She also served on the Committees on Agriculture, Health, Economic Development, Education, Government Operations and Housing, Energy and Environment, Hawaiian Affairs, Transportation, Water/Land, and Ways and Means. Senator Chun Oakland continues to be very active in the community. She was the co-founder and co-convener of the Keiki and the Kupuna Caucuses, co-convener of the Women’s Caucus, chair of numerous legislative task forces and working groups, and a member or officer of over 50 community organizations’ boards. She has provided invaluable support to human and social service organizations such as Blueprint for Change, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, Susannah Wesley Community Center, the Pediatric Council of Hawai‘i, and the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund. The daughter of retired Executive Director of Kalihi YMCA Philip S. Chun and retired social worker Mei-Chih Chun, Senator Chun Oakland was born and raised in Honolulu, is an honor graduate of McKinley High School, and earned two BA degrees in Communications and Psychology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her sister, Jeanne Chun, works for the San Francisco Community Foundation and her brother, Randall Chun, is a graphic artist. Her husband of 23 years, Mike Oakland, is a Deputy Sheriff and Kapolei Courthouse Section Commander. She and Mike have three children – Mailene, Christopher, and Lauren. She also has six grandchildren.
David Derauf, MD, MPH
Executive Director/Family Practice Physician, Kokua Kalihi Valley
David D. Derauf, MD, MPH has been with Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) for the last 31 years. In 1989, he was hired as KKV’s first Clinical Director and remained in this position until being named as KKV’s Executive Director in October, 2003. Dr. Derauf received his medical training at the University of Minnesota. He moved to Hawai‘i in 1989 to pursue public health training and received his MPH from the University of Hawai‘i in 1995, with a focus on epidemiology.
Dr. Derauf has served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Health, Medicine, and Nursing at the University of Hawai‘i. He serves as a board member of the Association of Asian and Pacific Island Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, and Aloha Care, a Hawai‘i Medicaid Managed Care Corporation, as well as Hawai‘i Appleseed. He is also a founding member of Nā Limahana o Lonopūhā, a consortium of Native Hawaiian Health Organizations.
Under his leadership, KKV was named a Center of Excellence in Women’s health care by the Federal Government in 2002. In 2008 KKV was honored by HRSA with its Special Populations Service Award, recognizing KKV’s excellence in service to minority populations. In 2009, he was chosen by the Director of Health to represent Hawai‘i on the inaugural California-Hawai‘i Public Health Leadership Institute Team. He was given a Gerbode-Hawai‘i Community Foundation Award for non-profit leadership in 2008 and three times received a Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation Award for Excellence in Management.
He is married, has two sons who he likes to get out in the surf with from time to time.
Aimee Malia Grace, MD, MPH, FAAP
Director, UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives
Dr. Aimee Malia Grace serves as Director of the UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives. She leads the UHealthy Hawai‘i Initiative as well as UH System federal affairs. Dr. Grace is a pediatrician and previously served for three years as lead health policy advisor for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in Washington, D.C. where she managed Senator Schatz’s legislative work in the health field, including the areas of telehealth, Medicaid buy‐in, Tobacco to 21, Project ECHO, public health emergency preparedness, and chronic pain. She also managed Senator Schatz’s budget and appropriations for health programs of importance to Hawai‘i and Native Hawaiians. Dr. Grace completed her undergraduate studies in human biology at Stanford University, medical degree at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine, pediatrics residency at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Master of Public Health (Health Policy and Management) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, and General Academic Pediatrics (Health Policy) fellowship at the Children’s National Health System.
Jodi Haunani Leslie, DrPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist
Dr. Jodi Haunani Leslie Matsuo is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, with training in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. She began her professional career as a Public Health Nutritionist and Supervisor with the Hawai‘i Department of Health. Dr. Leslie instructed at Hawai‘i Community College-West Hawai‘i, University of Hawai‘i (UH) Hilo, and UH Mānoa, teaching nutrition, kinesiology, and public health classes. Under the mentorship and training of Dr. Claire Hughes, she has worked within traditional Hawaiian diet programs across the state. Starting with ʻImi Hale, she has done research on Native Hawaiian workers and employee wellness programs. Her clinical experience includes internships at Queen’s Medical Center and Tripler Army Medical Center, and then later in other acute, long-term care, and cardiac rehabilitative facilities. Dr. Leslie has been contracted by entities including Papa Ola Lōkahi, Hana and West Hawai‘i Community Health Centers, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Department of Education, UH-John A. Burns School of Medicine, YMCA, and the Alzheimer’s Association. Her responsibilities ranged from development of nutrition and health curricula, educational materials, and surveys, facilitation of working groups, and clinical consultation. She was a member of the E Ola Mau A Mau nutrition workgroup and currently serves as the health columnist for Ka Wai Ola, a newspaper of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and member of the UH Cancer Center Native Hawaiian Advisory Board. At Kukui Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, she works with her husband in promoting lifestyle medicine as a means of preventing, treating, and reversing chronic diseases. Dr. Leslie volunteers her time doing cooking demos and nutrition talks at local schools, churches, and community groups. Being born and raised in Kona Hawai‘i, her passion has always been serving Native Hawaiians and rural communities.
Lorrin Kim, MAAS
Chief, Office Planning, Policy & Programs, State of Hawai’i Dept. of Health
Lorrin Kim is the Chief of the Office of Planning, Policy, and Program Development at the Hawaii State Department of Health. Lorrin is responsible for agency-wide government relations and public policy, strategic planning, compliance and performance improvement, and special projects. Department priorities supported by his office over the years include telehealth, medical aid in dying, rural health, oral health, community paramedicine, medical cannabis dispensaries, healthcare workforce development, and health equity. As of late 2020, he is also the Acting State Registrar overseeing the state’s vital records program.
Before government service, part of his twenty-year career in health was spent in private sector managed care and health care systems, focusing on health information technology, chronic disease prevention, and behavioral health. Lorrin holds bachelor’s degrees in Asian Studies and History from the Claremont Colleges system, and a master’s degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawai‘i, with concentrations in Japanese cultural history, religion, and art.
Chantelle “Tellie” Eseta Matagi
Program Coordinator, Papa Ola Lōkahi
Ms. Chantelle “Tellie” Eseta Matagi is the Program Coordinator at Papa Ola Lōkahi, a nonprofit that works to improve the health and wellbeing of Native Hawaiians.
As a Pacific Islander, she understands the cultural nuances of working with diverse communities. It is important to Ms.Matagi that communities are represented in staffing and that community-led initiatives are supported. She works to create collaborative partnerships among community-based organizations, faith-based institutions, medical and social service providers, and community leaders and advocates.
During the pandemic, her work highlighted these partnerships and supported educational outreach and community engagement that was in-language and culturally safe. This approach is considered innovative, inclusive of indigenous/native knowledge, and lead to better community participation.
When Tellie began with the state of Hawai’i Department of Health (HDOH) as the COVID-19 Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Lead Investigator (Team 6B) in October 2020, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and Native Hawaiians accounted for over 50% of the positive cases statewide. Today the number of positive cases in these communities has dropped substantially – approximately 25%. This is an impressive drop and one that could not have been accomplished without the efforts of Team 6B or the support of those communities overly affected by COVID-19.
In addition to Ms.Matagi’s academic background, lived-life experiences, and community connections she is extremely hard working, exacting, and possesses a tremendous amount of dedication, enthusiasm, patience, and respect for health equity work.
Janis A. Reischmann, MSW, MBA
Executive Director, Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation
Ms. Janis A. Reischmann is the executive director of Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation, an independent grantmaking foundation with offices in Honolulu. She has served in this capacity since April, 2008 and was hired as the Foundation’s first staff member. In this capacity she has overseen all aspects of the development of the Foundation’s grantmaking and operations, working closely with its board of directors. In 2011, Janis was asked to serve as a member of the Foundation’s board. The Foundation makes grants primarily in Hawai‘i but also has a small international grantmaking program. Most of its grantmaking is focused on children and environmental issues. Currently the Foundation has a full time staff of five and in 2013, an annual grants budget of approximately $7.5 million. Ms. Reischmann brings to her role more than twenty-five years of work in the nonprofit sector. She was the vice president for Hawai‘i’s statewide community foundation overseeing its grantmaking and private foundation services and led a consulting firm specializing in organizational and project development. She served as adjunct faculty at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health where she taught community development. She has masters degrees in social work and business administration, both from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In her deep commitment to our community, she has served on various nonprofit boards; was a founding member of the Women’s Fund of Hawai‘i; serves on the advisory board of Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center; and was recently invited to serve as a member of the board of the Keith and Judy Swayne Foundation.
Mr. Nainoa Thompson
President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society
Charles Nainoa Thompson, President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, is a pwo (master) navigator and the first Native Hawaiian since the 14th Century to practice wayfinding (art and science of ancient non-instrument navigation) for long distance ocean voyaging.
Nainoa’s years of experience and learning from his kūpuna have culminated in the realization of his vision of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, led by the Polynesian Voyaging Society and blessed by global leaders including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This 3-year, extraordinary voyage which was completed in June 2017, engaged and united all corners of Island Earth, sailing 47,000 nautical miles to nearly 100 ports and 25 nations. Its purpose was to practice sustainable living while sharing Polynesian culture, learning from the past and from each other and creating hope and global relationships around protecting our most cherished values and places from disappearing.
A leader in transforming education, Nainoa is the Co-Founder and Advisory Board Member of Mālama Honua Public Charter School, established in 2014 and dedicated to indigenous cultural values reflected in value- and place-based education. Nainoa is a former Regent of the University of Hawai‘i where he remains deeply connected as Special Advisor on Hawaiian Affairs to the University President. He is an Ocean Elder, a Trustee for Hanahau`oli School and a former Trustee for Bishop Estate, Hawai‘i’s largest private land owner and private educational institution. His natural leadership skills that have galvanized vast and diverse sectors throughout the community to realize the importance of caring for our planet and all of humanity have earned him numerous awards including the 2015 Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in Marine Exploration, the 2001 “Unsung Hero of Compassion” award from his Holiness XIV Dalai Lama on behalf of Wisdom in Action, the Native Hawaiian Education Association’s Manomano Ka`ike Educator of the Year, the 2015 Asia Pacific Community Building Award from the East-West Center, the 2013 Visionary Award from the Maui Film Festival, the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, the 2017 Hubbard Medal from National Geographic Society, and the 2017 Explorers Club Medal. Born and raised in Honolulu, Nainoa is a graduate of Punahou School and the University of Hawai‘i.
Jessica Yamauchi, MA
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hawaii Public Health Institute
Ms.Jessica Yamauchi, MA started working at Hawaii Public Health Institute (HIPHI) in 2010 and became CEO in 2012, when the organization expanded. She works closely with the HIPHI’s board of directors to provide strategic leadership, create and maintain partnerships, provide overall financial oversight, and ensure that HIPHI’s work is addressing the largest gaps.
Ms.Yamauchi holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in speech communication with a focus in health communication from UH Mānoa. Previously, she worked in the Thompson School’s Office of Public Health Studies and the UH Cancer Research Center.
In her free time, Ms.Yamauchi enjoys listening to true crime podcasts while walking her dog.