Makanalani Malia Gomes
Dr. Mālia Purdy was born in Fort Polk, Louisiana and raised in Waiehu, Maui. She attended Pūnana Leo O Maui, Kula Kaiapuni O Maui ma Pā ʻ ia & Kalama, and graduated from Kamehameha Schools Maui. She then went on to receive her BS in Biology at Pacific University, MPH in Native Hawaiian Health and PhD in Community-Based & Translational Research at the University of Hawai ʻ i at Mānoa. Dr. Purdy ʻ s journey at Hui No Ke Ola Pono started in 2022 as the Executive Director and she believes her path was set forth by her kūpuna. She descends from a line of advocates and educators, as her tūtū was part of the pioneer group that fought for Hawaiian language and culture to be taught in public schools and was a lā ʻ au lapa ʻ au practitioner. Dr. Purdy is a true local girl who loves going to the beach, chasing sunsets, and always trying to find the water wherever she is in the world. Makanalani Malia Gomes is a Kanaka Maoli Filipina storyteller, land and water defender, and emerging healer born and raised between the moku of ʻ Ewa, O ʻ ahu, and Puna, Hawai ʻ i. She is connected to local and global decolonization movements, currently serving as the inaugural fellow at Ban Ki-moon Foundation, with kuleana to advance initiatives for Indigenous and Native Youth, with a focus on gender equity and climate change. In the past, she served as a co-chair of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. She is part of a team of Kānaka Maoli women working on the second report of the Murdered Missing Native Hawaiian Women Girls and Māhū Task Force, making visible the experiences of violence facing these communities, and is also a core community organizer of Af3irm-Hawai ʻ i. In her downtime, she enjoys time at the beach, planting and playing in her backyard, cooking, baking, thrifting, or going for a cruise around the island. Makanalani will graduate with her Master’s in Hawaiian Studies from UH Mānoa in May.
Malia Purdy
Paige Miki Kalāokananiki'eki'e Okamura
He keiki papa no Māeaea, Pa ʻ ala ʻ a Kai, Waialua, O ʻ ahu, Paige Miki Kalāokananiki ʻ eki ʻ e Okamura - also known as “DJ Mermaid” - is the Training Manager for the Pacific Region Training & Technical Assistance Center, which is a resource of the Administration for Native Americans (ANA). Her primary responsibility is to work with and support Native-serving, Native- led nonprofits across the Pacific in Hawai ʻ i, Amerika Sāmoa, Guahan, and the Northern Marianas Islands in applying for large Federal grant funding from ANA. Her years of education and experience in 'ōlelo Hawai ʻ i research, translation, radio broadcasting, and education are what guide her other role as a Commissioner on Culture & the Arts for the City & County of Honolulu and as the on-air host of Hawai ʻ i Kulāiwi on Hawai ʻ i Public Radio. He keiki aloha ʻ āina, a product of the ʻ āina and community that raised and nurtured her, she is a strong advocate for all kupa o ka ʻ āina. Paige is a graduate of Punahou School with her BA in 'Ōlelo Hawai ʻ i from the University of Hawai ʻ i at Mānoa and is currently pursuing her MA in ʻ Ōlelo Hawai ʻ i.
ʻ Ōiwi Leadership ACCELERATOR
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