Meet Our Presenters
I am a Waimanalo native raising 5 children. I was a program member of Hā'ehuola and was very blessed to be a part of the program. It has greatly improved the lifestyle and health of my family and I.
Aaron Akau
Alicia Higa, Executive Director | ʻElepaio Social Services
I was born and raised in Waiʻanae and have dedicated more than 20 years to improving the health and well-being of my community. As Executive Director of ʻElepaio Social Services and Chief Community Health Officer at Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, I work to strengthen families through food access, Indigenous food sovereignty, and community-centered health initiatives. I believe deeply that ʻāina is medicine and that lasting change begins with listening to and caring for our community.
Amber Granite, WIC Program Supervisor | Waimānalo Health Center
Amber Granite, MPH, ILC, GPCE, has dedicated her career to supporting Hawaiis mothers, babies, and families through breastfeeding promotion, maternal & child nutrition, and culturally grounded care. Amber works to strengthen programs that improve the health and well-being of families while honoring the traditions & values of her community.
Amy Miller, President & CEO | Hawai'i Foodbank
Amy Miller is the President and CEO of Hawaiʻi Foodbank, Hawaiʻi’s largest hunger relief organization. Through Amy’s leadership, Hawaiʻi Foodbank has expanded its mission to not only meet the urgent nutritional needs of the community but also to address the root causes of hunger. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and public policy. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a 2018–2019 Omidyar Fellow. She lives in Honolulu with her two daughters.
Annabelle Stone, MPH; Director of Health Equity | AlohaCare
Annabelle Stone serves as Director of Health Equity at AlohaCare, where she leads efforts to advance equitable healthcare access and improve outcomes for Hawaiʻi's diverse populations. With more than 20 years of experience spanning nonprofit leadership, human services, and community development, she has built a career dedicated to addressing social determinants of health and expanding opportunities for underserved communities.
Anthea Wang, MD | Kaiser Permanente
My philosophy of care is strongly rooted in prevention and self-care. I feel that my role is to be a partner to my patients, especially those with chronic diseases, as they manage their conditions in their everyday lives. Being a primary care doctor allows me to make an impact on society by making a difference in the life and health of one person at a time.
Cherese Kwan, Lecturer and Research Coordinator | University of Hawaiʻi - Mānoa
Cherese Kwan holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and works as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer in human nutrition at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Since 2018, she has worked under the mentorship of Dr. Monica Esquivel on several Food as Medicine initiatives on Oʻahu, with a special passion for helping families discover simple and delicious ways to enjoy their local produce.
Christian “Maka” Makaneʻole | Heavy Equipment Operator
I’m Christian “Maka” Makaneʻole, a husband, father, and grandfather who has personally experienced how changing my nutrition and everyday habits can have a positive impact on my health. Living with type 2 diabetes made me realize how important the foods I choose and the way I care for my body are to my overall wellness. My journey has taught me the importance of consistency, healthier choices, and having the support of my family and community.
Christopher Fujimoto, Community Wellness Manager | ʻElepaio Social Services
Chef Chris is a Native Hawaiian Chef born and raised on the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i. Chef Chris grew up on the east side, in Waikalua, Kāneʻohe, and was taught from a young age to truly appreciate eating food directly from the 'āina (land) and kai (sea), learning how to gather, fish, spear fish, and go torching from his father who was a huge influence on teaching him Hawaiian culture from a young age. While he was brought up working in the culinary industry since he was 16 years old, his passion and focus has shifted from only looking at food from the kitchen perspective. His role as the Community Wellness Manager for 'Elepaio Social Services allows him to pursue his goals of educating and nourishing his community through the lenses of indigenous food systems, food sovereignty, food access, food as medicine, and food as education. He provides free cooking workshops for the community that highlight local, seasonal, and indigenous crops while also providing a platform for farmers, other chefs, and local organizations to share the work they do around food systems. Chef Chris hopes to continue to work with indigenous crops, frameworks, and partners to return Hawaiʻi to a more sustainable, food secure, and pono system like his ancestors had created and maintained once before.
David Derauf, CEO | Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Community doctor in the Ahupua'a of Kalihi my whole career. Mistakes are all mine but what good I have done I owe to our Super-aunties and Akua. We know how to care for one another if we just remember.
Fran Makaneʻole | Childcare Provider
I’m Fran Makaneʻole, a wife, mom, grandmother, and childcare provider with a passion for health, wellness, family, and helping others. Through my own wellness journey, I’ve learned how important our everyday choices can be and how much easier change can feel when we have encouragement and support. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned and helping others feel supported as they work toward their own wellness goals.
Funke Ajenikoko, Manager, Food is Medicine | The Rockefeller Foundation
Funke Ajenikoko, MPH, is a Manager for Food is Medicine at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she supports efforts to integrate Food is Medicine programs into the healthcare delivery system. With a decade of experience, Funke has worked across the U.S. and global context to shape food policies. She holds a Master of Public Health from New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Haley McKinnon | Ahiki Acres
Haley McKinnon is a first-generation farmer and co-founder of Ahiki Acres, a diversified vegetable farm in her hometown of Waimānalo, Oʻahu. After earning a degree in chemical engineering, her interest in food security, sustainability, and community health ultimately brought her home to agriculture. Today, she grows food for her local community and serves as President of the Waimānalo Agricultural Association, advocating for a stronger local food system and the farmers who sustain it.
Ian Simoy, Program Officer | Weinberg Foundation
Ian Simoy is the proud grandson of Filipino immigrants whose legacy as farmers and educators continues to shape his commitment to the care of land and people. Ian serves as Program Officer at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which strives to fight poverty and build strong, vibrant communities where everyone can thrive. In his role, he stewards a portfolio of grants focused on improving access to health care, strengthening local food systems, and supporting community leadership.
Jaz Cockett, Kumu & ʻAi Pono Coordinator | Mālama Honua Public Charter School
Jaz is a kumu and ʻAi Pono Coordinator at Malama Honua Public School. She teaches ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, K-5, and ʻāina education across all grade levels, K-8. As the ʻAi Pono Coordinator, she manages the USDA National School Lunch Program at Malama Honua and ensures the cultural integration and influence of ʻai pono practices by developing programs that support students through supporting our families, farmers, and community.
Jen Awakuni, AVP Medicaid | HMSA
Born in raised in Hawaii, I am driven by a love for the communities that raised me and passionate to improve the health for our state. I carry that into my role at HMSA, where I lead strategy, operations, and finance for Medicaid.
I am a Food as Medicine project supervisor as well as a CHW working with Elepaio Social Services, where I support Food as Medicine programs and help to connect with Leeward coast community members with our different produce prescription programs. I am passionate about improving access to healthy, culturally meaningful foods and growing my skills to better serve my community.
Chassidy Watson - Food is medicine project supervisor | Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center / ʻElepaio Social Services
Jennifer Conway, MPH, RD, LDN - Director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention | Waimānalo Health Center
As a registered dietitian and healthcare leader serving the Waimānalo community, I’m dedicated to advancing our mission through nutrition, education, and community advocacy. My work centers on improving access to nourishing food and practical nutrition knowledge, creating meaningful and sustainable change that strengthens the health and well-being of our community.
Jesse Lipman, Roots Program Director | Kōkua Kalihi Valley (KKV)
Food has always been my pathway to connection. I am grateful to work building healthy and just relationships to the land and food which sustain us and bring people together.
Kapi'olei Smythe - Owner/Operations Lead | We The Well Beings, LLC
I have a BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Colgate University, which I used to help develop our Hā'ehuola Prepared Meals Wellness Program with my mom. The program centers on whole-person health rooted in Native Hawaiian philosophy and values. Through our work, we hope to build a network where people feel truly cared for and empowered to manage their own health and to become wellness advocates for their ʻohana, friends, and community.
Kari Shintaku, Vice President Population Health & Quality Improvement | Ohana Health Plan/Centene Corporation
I am a healthcare leader, community advocate, and collaborative problem-solver who believes the best results happen when people unite around a shared mission. Throughout my career, I have focused on bringing people together to improve access, strengthen communities, and create meaningful, lasting impact for those we serve.
Kerri Okamura | The Food Basket Inc
Kerri Okamura is the Food Is Medicine Director at The Food Basket, Hawai'i Island's food bank, where she helps to lead programs that connect local food systems, healthcare, and community wellness. Kerri is passionate about improving health outcomes through prevention, nutrition, and community-based care.
Landon Opunui, ND, FAIHM, DipACLM | Nā Puʻuwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System
Landon Opunui serves as the Executive Director, Medical Director, and Naturopathic Physician at Nā Puʻuwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System, where he integrates traditional Hawaiian health perspectives with modern medical practice. Nā Puʻuwai provides comprehensive healthcare services, programs, and resources to the rural communities of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, ensuring culturally responsive care that prioritizes disease prevention, education, health promotion, and empowerment. Passionate about improving Native Hawaiian health outcomes, Landon blends clinical practice, executive leadership, non-profit service, community advocacy and ʻike Hawaiʻi to advance the health and well-being of our lāhui.
Lehia Apana, co-founder | Polipoli Farms
Lehia Apana is the co-founder of Polipoli Farms, a Native Hawaiian-owned regenerative farm in Waiehu, Maui. She and her husband, Brad Bayless, grow Polynesian plants in food forests and turn their harvests into packaged products, including teas made from māmaki, ʻulu, and ʻuhaloa. They are developing a vertically integrated farm model, including a food processing hub with a certified kitchen currently in development, to increase access to locally grown and culturally rooted foods.
HUAKAʻI (field trip) lead
Leina'ala Bright- Director, Cultural Health | Waimānalo Health Center
Leinaʻala Bright is a Waimānalo community member, Native Hawaiian Health practitioner, educator, and the Director of Cultural Health at Waimānalo Health Center. She is a lomilomi, lāʻau lapaʻau, laws of olakino practitioner and educator. Leinaʻala joined Waimānalo Health Center in 2015 integrating her services within the Health Center’s primary care setting. She continually strives to share the healing legacies of her kumu and ʻike kūpuna in support of the health and well-being of her community.
Lisa Kimura, Community Health Consultant | Kaiser Permanente
As the Community Health Lead overseeing food security, I've led Kaiser Permanente Hawaii's Food is Medicine initiatives for nearly five years, instituting programs designed to increase access to healthy food and nutrition. I helped develop KP's Food is Medicine program that will be implemented in Hawaii, and have been part of a cohort of managed care organizations supporting MedQUEST to direct $20 million in health-related social needs grants. I am also a member of many collaborations devoted to increasing food sustainability in Hawaii, including a working group of funders in the Funder Hui, as well as a member of Hawaii Investment Ready's food systems investment cohort. Prior to this work, I was vice president of community impact at Aloha United Way, where food security and access to healthy nutrition was a key part of my grantmaking portfolio, and I also previously served as executive director of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, where I advocated for access to nutrition education and healthy food programs.
Malia Smith, EdD - Program Lead | We The Well Beings, LLC
I hold a doctorate in education and a professional certificate in plant-based nutrition, and I serve as the program lead at We The Well Beings, LLC, where my daughter and I built our Hā'ehuola Prepared Meals Wellness Program. The aim of our work is to make sure everyone who comes through our program is fed nutritious, healthy, culturally relevant food and has the tools and 'ike they need to be true well Beings who can then lead their 'ohana and community on their health journeys. Above all, we want our participants to leave feeling better than when they came, knowing they are loved, whole, and complete.
Marielle Terbio, Vice President & Chief Programs Officer | Hawai'i Foodbank
Marielle is passionate about using her voice and lived experience to empower others and dedicated to advancing systems change that leads to long-term impact and collective well-being. She currently resides in Kaimukī with her two cats, Dash and Sammy, and remains driven by a vision of shared growth, belonging, and a hunger-free Hawaiʻi.
Marvin Malohi - Med-QUEST Supervising Contracts Specialist | Med-QUEST
Marvin Malohi is a Supervising Contracts Specialist with the Hawaii Med-QUEST Division, where he leads the implementation of Hawaii’s Medicaid Nutrition Supports program. His work focuses on developing the guidance, partnerships, and operational processes needed to bring these benefits to Medicaid members.
Matt Haffenreffer, Principal | Process First
I am systems designer, former mechanical engineer, and data analyst. Day to day, I run Process First - managing a team of designers, researchers, engineers and PMs, as well as building the partnerships required to build the food system we all deserve.
Megan Inada & Kuulei Freed - Director of Research & Mo'olelo Evaluation Specialist | Kōkua Kalihi Valley - Ho'oulu 'Āina
Megan and Kuulei work at Kōkua Kalihi Valley, where they approach research as an inherently Indigenous practice rooted in our stories, lived experiences, communities, and ancestors. Their work recognizes that communities already hold the knowledge needed to guide them and focuses on developing tools and frameworks that help surface, reflect upon, and make meaning from the ʻike already within us.
Meghan Martin, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor | Waimānalo Health Center
I’m a mom, psychology student, and breastfeeding peer counselor who is passionate about supporting women and families. I hope to build a career focused on maternal mental health, breastfeeding support, and helping mothers feel supported throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
Michele Nishimoto-Souza, Senior Manager, Medicaid Administration and Operations | Kaiser Permanente
I serve as Senior Manager for Medicaid Administration and Operations with Kaiser Permanente’s QUEST Administration in the Hawaii Market. In this role, I help translate complex Medicaid requirements into clear, operational action, and I’m grateful to join this Food Is Medicine discussion on how health plans can support nutrition services, address health-related social needs, and build sustainable community infrastructure.
Monica Esquivel, Professor | UH Mānoa, CTAHR
Monica is a resident of Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. She is a wife, mother, daughter, and sister. Her work centers on supporting students in their pursuits to become Registered Dietitians and on research that can support the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities through food and system interventions.
+ HUAKAʻI (field trip) lead
Nick Reppun | Waianu Farm, Kakoʻo ʻOiwi
I grew up on my family’s farm in Waianu and have spent most of my life living here on the farm. My relationship with the farm has evolved as I have grown up, my childhood playground has become my life work and livelihood, and I now get to watch my own child experience the joy of growing up here. I am grateful to be part of the agricultural community in Hawaii and hope that our farm is an inspiration to others who wish to live a similar life, kupa aina, close to the land.
Nicole Mahealani Lum, D.O., Medical Director | Ke Ola Mamo
Dr. Nicole Mahealani Lum, D.O. is a kanaka ʻōiwi physician from ʻAiea, Oʻahu. She is the medical director of Ke Ola Mamo Native Hawaiian Health Care System of Oʻahu, where she practices primary care family medicine & geriatrics.
Rona Fukumoto, President & CEO | Lanakila Pacific
Rona Fukumoto serves as President & CEO of Lanakila Pacific, where she provides executive leadership for programs that support individuals with disabilities, kūpuna, and communities across Hawaiʻi. In her role, she helps guide the organization’s mission-driven services, partnerships, and strategic initiatives, including efforts that connect nutrition, health, and community-based care.
Sharon de la Pena, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE | Ho'ola Lahui Hawai'i
I love creating plant-based meals and recipes.
Tammy Smith, AiPono Practioner | Owner of KTER4U Corp
Vanessa Wong, Associate Professor | UH John A. Burns School of Medicine and Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Vanessa Wong is an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine and is board certified in family medicine and lifestyle medicine. She feels like the luckiest clinician at KKV because she gets to do Āina Lifestyle group visits with an amazing team at Hoʻoulu ʻĀina.