I Ola Wailuanui Board of Directors & ADVISORY COUNCIL
Pualiʻiliʻimaikalani Rossi-Fukino
Board President
Pualiʻiliʻimaikalani Rossi-Fukino is from the ahupuaʻa of Wailua on the mokupuni of Kauaʻi. She holds a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies and in Anthropology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and an M.A. in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is an Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies at Kauaʻi Community College and teaches both Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian Language. Her interest in Hawaiian research first started when she began learning about the various wahi pana (significant places) in Wailua.
Understanding that we must look to the past to be successful in our future, Rossi-Fukino has a specific interest in natural resource management and restoring our traditional food production systems. With the same intention, she also works towards the preservation of Kauaʻi's archival materials and serves on the Board of Directors for Kauaʻi Historical Society. Rossi-Fukino’s connection to Wailua can be traced back through her great-great-grandmother, who was born in the ahupuaʻa.
Mason Chock
Board Vice President
Mason is a co-founding member and former Executive Director of Leadership Kaua`i. He has worked in education and public service for 23 years. He is the President of Kupu A’e Leadership Development, a leadership experiential education company on Kauaʻi, specializing in cultural, place-based learning, adventure-based therapy, team building and leadership development. A Certified Master Facilitator of The Leadership Challenge, Certified Facilitator of The Student Leadership Challenge, Certified Everything DISC and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team Facilitator, personal coach, leadership development consultant, and keynote speaker. Mason delivers customized workshops and coaching covering topics such as creating a positive work culture, Design Thinking Process, conflict resolution, building a value-based company, strategic visioning; goal and action planning. A la'au lapa'au and Ho'oponopono practitioner, Mason follows the lineage of Aunty Mahilani Poepoe, Levon Ohai and Uncle Dennis Kauahi. He is also actively focused on social change and systems improvements in business, education and government and currently serves as the vice chairman on the Kauaʻi County Council, President of the Hawaii Association of Counties, Chairman of the Kauaʻi Resiliency Project and President of Malama Huleia.
Makana Reilly
Board Secretary
Makana is a dedicated and empathetic leader, unwaveringly committed to Indigenous empowerment and community well-being. Excelling in navigating dynamic challenges, she fosters an environment where innovative solutions flourish amidst chaos and complexity. Her passion for driving positive change, coupled with humility and kindness, fuels her ability to tackle seemingly insurmountable problems and create spaces for inventive solutions to take root. Her career journey reflects a natural inclination for inquiry and problem-solving, drawing from extensive management and leadership experience in both public and private sectors. Proficient in cultivating networks of trust, Makana consistently fosters community growth, nurturing strengths and promoting holistic well-being. At the heart of her leadership lies exceptional emotional intelligence, a cornerstone of her inclusive and collaborative approach. Guided by emotional intelligence and kuleana, she leads with empathy and steadfast aloha. A mother of two keiki ʻōlelo Hawaii, an ʻōlapa of Hālau Nā Pualei o Likolehua, and advocate for the protection of the rights of Native Hawaiians and ʻāina, Reilly formerly served as the Director of ʻĀina Connection for the Hawaiʻi Land Trust (HILT). She lives in ʻŌmaʻo, Kauaʻi and was born and raised in Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu. Her formal education includes a Master of Arts in ʻŌlelo Hawai`i with a focus on Familial Land Management Options, a Bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Miami, and a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama.
Micah Bukoski
Treasurer
Micah Bukoski, born and raised in Lāwa’i Kaua'i, works as a boat captain at Captain Andy's while serving on the board of both I Ola Wailuanui and Friends of King Kamuali’i. A proud graduate of Kaua'i High School and engineering student at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Micah mirrors the majority of locals by earning a living in the tourism industry.
Intricately woven into Kaua'i's familial tapestry, Micah's story reflects the diverse roots that have shaped the island's cultural landscape. Raised by his mother, Kristen Bukoski, along with his grandparents and great-grandparents, the Bukoski family name traces back to the original Bukoski’s who arrived on a ship from Poland during the beginning of Kaua’i’s plantation era. The Bukoski name established itself on Kaua’i stemming from the “Portuguese camp” at the Koloa plantation; the first sugar plantation established in Hawai’i. Today, the Bukoski family proudly represents a rich blend of Portuguese, Spanish, Filipino, Kānaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian), Chinese, and Puerto Rican heritage.
Micah's commitment to preserving Kaua'i's cultural heritage, protecting the islands vital resources and dedication to fight for economic stability for the local communitie align with the goals of I Ola Wailuanui. His unique perspective, rooted in the diverse history of his family, adds valuable layers to the collective narrative of Kaua'i's past, present and vision for the future.
Nikki Cristobal
Board Member
Nikki Cristobal is born and raised on the island of Kauaʻi. She holds her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy, an M.A. in Psychology, and a B.A. in Sociology and Women’s Studies. Nikki is the Co-Founder and Executive Director for the grassroots community education, culture and public arts nonprofit, Kamāwaelualani. Nikki is the Principal Investigator for the Missing & Murdered Native Hawaiian Women, Girls, Māhū Report- a ka pae ʻāina comprehensive report mandated by the Hawaiʻi legislature and part of the MMIW2S international movement. Nikki also serves as the Policy & Research Specialist for Pouhana O Nā Wāhine- a newly established domestic violence resource center for Native Hawaiians. Nikki's inspiration to do anti-violence work comes from her own experiences as a survivor of gender-based violence and finding that the answer to her healing is in the mutual relationships she cultivates with the land, culture, and community for the benefit of the next generations.
Fern Ānuenue Holland
Board Member
Fern Ānuenue Holland, B.Sc., was born and raised in Kapahi and grew up on the east side of Kauaʻi. After graduating from Kapaʻa High School in 2002 she received her Bachelor of Science with a triple major in Wildlife Management, Environmental Science and Marine Biology from Griffith University’s School of Environment, Gold Coast Australia.
As a graduate she worked as a professional scientist for a global consulting firm conducting ecological assessments and environmental science monitoring work along the east coast of Australia. Holland has continued to work locally as an environmental science consultant and also works full time with Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) as a community organizer and advocate.
Since returning home from university in 2012 Holland has been active in local community issues and aloha ʻāina based projects. She is passionate about expanding sustainable food production agriculture, restoration of native ecosystems, ʻāina and community based land management. Holland is committed to the advancement of food production agriculture and sustainability for Hawaiʻi.
Teresa Tico
Legal Council
Teresa Tico is a Hawaiʻi based attorney and film producer. She graduated from University of California at San Diego summa cum laude, and from the University of San Diego School of Law. She is known for handling cases of first impression in the environmental sector of law and is nationally a recognized for her work in the natural resources case, Pflueger v. Marvin, which resulted in the largest EPA fine against an individual polluter in U.S. history.
In 2000, she turned her legal skills to film production, producing the environmental documentaries Learning to Sea, Going to Antarctica, MIss South Pacific and Fishing Pono, among others, to raise awareness about the cultural and environmental impacts of climate change and declining resources.
Tico is passionate about environmental conservation, justice and community. She has lived on Kauaʻi for 45 years and over 50 in the islands. Tico sees this project as a model for cultural and historical education for residents and visitors alike and an important opportunity for local food production and sustainable economic development.
Peleke Flores
Community Advisory Group - Fishpond Restoration
Peleke Flores was born in Hilo, Hawai‘i and raised in Waimea, Kaua‘i. He is a 2001 graduate of Waimea High School and attended Kapiolani Community College in the Pre- Travel Industry Management Program before transferring to UH Manoa taking up Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies with a special focus on Malama ‘Āina, land management.
For over 15 years Flores has worked for ʻāina based non-profit organizations. He served as the Kū Hou Kuapā Coordinator at Paepae o Heʻeia fishpond on the Ko'olaupoko district of Oʻahu, where his knowledge of mālama ‘āina practices and dry stack wall-building were of great value in the restoration of this sacred space. Flores currently works for Mālama Hulēʻia on Hule'ia Kaua'i as a Field Operations Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator, currently working to restore Alakoko Fishpond. He has experience in traditional hale building, Uhau Humu Pohaku (Hawaiian dry set) and restoring traditional hawaiian food systems such as lo’i kalo, lo’i pa’akai, ko’a/limu, and loko i’a.
Laʻa Poepoe
Community Advisory Group - Fishpond Restoration
Born and raised on Molokai, La’a Poepoe is a multi-disciplined cultural practitioner, mālama ‘aina advocate, an active community volunteer, and a firefighter by profession. A self-proclaimed ʻprofessional volunteerʻ, La’a currently serves as the Chairperson of the Molokai Planning Commission and has previously served as a member of the Molokai Island Burial Council. La’a is a practicing lawai’a and kia’i loko and participates with numerous native Hawaiian organizations in various capacities.
Kuʻualoha Hoʻomanawanui
Community Advisory Group
Kuʻualoha Hoʻomanawanui is a Professor of Hawaiian literature at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is a Kanaka ʻōiwi poet, aloha ʻāina kiaʻi, and scholar from Wailua Homesteads, Kauaʻi. She attended Kapaʻa Elementary, Middle, and High School as well as Kauaʻi Community college, and has published on traditional moʻolelo (stories, histories) and wahi pana (sacred places) of Kauaʻi.
Gary Hooser
Community Advisory Group
Gary Hooser is a former Kauaʻi County Council member first elected in 1998 and most recently serving between 2014 and 2016. Gary also served as a member of the Hawaiʻi State Senate representing Kauaʻi and Niʻihau from 2002 to 2010. Following his role as Senator he was appointed to lead the Hawaiʻi Office of Environmental Quality Control under Governor Abercrombie.
Hooser graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi--West Oʻahu with a bachelor's degree in public administration. Prior to serving in public office, he owned and managed various small businesses around Kauaʻi.
Hooser has lived in Wailua for 40 years. He is closely connected to Wailua and the community looking to facilitate this project. He has been involved in the conversation to restore this area for the betterment of the Hawaiian community since 2009 when he was part of the Friends of Coco Palm’s Hui. He is currently President of the Board for the Hawai’i Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA).
Chanel Waipuʻilani Flores
Community Advisory Group
Waipūʻilani Flores is a Kumu ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Studies) at Kanuikapono Public Charter School. She’s also Vice President of the Mālie Foundation and a singer/musician with different genres of music including Hawaiian, Polynesian, R&B, Reggae, and Jazz. She was a radio co-host alongside the likes of Danny Hill for a daily morning show on Jamz 98.1. Wai also works for Tihati Productions since 2006, sharing the music and dances of Polynesia with the world.
In addition to her entertainment background, Flores is an advocate for the protection and preservation of our Hawaiian culture. Iwi kupuna, waterways, cultural artifacts and relics, Hawaiian Homesteads, sacred sites’ protection and cultural education are among the many things she stands for alongside a movement of like-minded supporters around the world. The end goal? To ensure that the legacy of our Hawaiian people never be forgotten and live on for generations to come.
Chucky Boy Chock
Community Advisory Group
‘Chucky Boy Chock’ is the Executive Director of the Kauaʻi Museum and an advocate for historical presentation and revival in the Hawaiian community.
A former football, basketball and volleyball coach for 10 years, Chock is deeply connected to the Kauaʻi community. He has been a composer and musician his entire adult life and, although no longer performs, continues to write and arrange music. In support of The Polynesian Voyaging Society Chock composed and recorded with Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga and also co-wrote with Brother Noland another song benefiting the society. Chock was asked by the Kauaʻi Visitors Bureau to compose a song in honor of Willie K whom passed away a few weeks after the recording was released.
Chock serves on the Ho’ola Lāhui Community Health Centers Board, Hawaii Museum Association, Child & Family Service-Hale Ho’omalu Advisory Board, Kamāwaelualani Corp, Friends of Kaumualiʻi Board, Kamaloʻula Hui and an active member of the Royal Order of Kamehameha Kaumualiʻi Chapter.
Trisha Kehaulani Watson-Sproat
Community Advisory Group
Trisha Kehaulani Watson, J.D., Ph.D., was born and raised in Mānoa, Hawaiʻi. She earned a B.A. in Sociology and American Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi in 1999. Her M.A. is from Washington State University in American Studies where she wrote her thesis on environmental justice on Oʻahu’s Leeward Coast. She earned a J.D. and environmental law certificate from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi in 2003 where she focused on non-profit organizations, civil rights and environmental law.
In 2008, she completed her Ph.D. in American Studies. Her dissertation, Hoʻi Hou ia Papahānaumoku: A History of the Ecocolonization of the Puʻuhonua of Waiʻanae, focusing on Native Hawaiian natural resource management. She has worked with numerous Native Hawaiian and conservation organizations; and is a member of ‘Ahahui Kaʻahumanu, the Daughters of Hawaiʻi and is a former Board Member with the Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu.
Watson currently serves as President of the Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society, which produces numerous premiere cultural events annually, including the Queen Lili‘uokalani Keiki Hula Competition. She also serves on the board of ‘Āina Momona, which provides critical environmental programs to island communities throughout Hawai‘i. Her academic areas of interests are law, natural resource management practices, and economic and community development. Watson has been involved in acquisition projects such as the one proposed for this project.
Rick Cooper
Community Advisory Group
Richard A. (‘Rick’) Cooper is a member Directors Guild of America, with 25 years in the Film & Television Industry. He also has an extensive background in radio, as a Talk Show Producer/Host, a Board member, Director of Public Relations, and co-founder of KMUD-FM, etc. He occasionally consults for and hosts ‘Talk’ programs on KKCR. Cooper is a Public Relations Consultant, a Political Advisor, and a Community Organizer. He teaches workshops, and sits on the ManKind Project Leadership Council of Kaua’i.
Cooper first visited Kaua’i when he was 11. He bought his home in the Wailua Homesteads in 1998. Before that, Rick lived on Maui in the 1970’s, acting in theater and working for Maui Community Television. Following the 1971 shipping strike that left Hawai’i store shelves bare, and the occupation of Kaho’olawe, Cooper became supportive of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, and the need for self-sufficiency. From there, his eyes and heart were opened more than ever. Cooper feels honored to contribute to the Hawaiian community, and to the restoration of the Wailua ahupuaʻa.