The 2025 Fellows

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Naomi Cooper

Naomi Cooper is the Director of Communications at Maui Hotel & Lodging Association. Her background stems from business, marketing, and creative arts. She has professional experience in the industries of publishing, tourism, building development, wholesale and retail, sporting, wellness, events, advertising and public relations, film, and commercial production. Naomi was raised in Haiku, Maui, spent many years in Oahu and returned to Maui during the pandemic. She is passionate about Hawaii’s unique culture, youth education and creating a self-sustaining economy. In her free time, she loves beach days and hiking with her children, barre, cooking, musicals, and all forms of art.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Danielle Goodfellow

I grew up in Kihei, Maui, with my two older sisters and a lively assortment of pets, ranging from cats and dogs to fish and guinea pigs. My education began at Montessori school in Upcountry Maui and continued at Seabury Hall, where I graduated in 2013. Every summer and winter break growing up, we’d visit my parents’ hometown in Wenatchee, Washington, where I embraced lake and mountain life—learning to fish, sail, wake surf, and snowboard.

In 2013, I pursued studies in business and construction management at Washington State University (Go Cougs!), and while I cherished my time on the mainland, I always longed to reunite with the aloha spirit. I’ve now lived back on Maui for the last six years and am working as a project manager for Goodfellow Bros., a civil contractor on the island. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with longboarding on the west side and am increasingly motivated to master kiteboarding on the north shore. On my days off you’d be unsurprised to find me with friends playing Spikeball at Big Beach, hiking/exploring various trails, or fish watching 100’ underwater. 

I am so honored to call Maui my home and acknowledge that to contribute most effectively, I have much to learn about the island, its culture, and our community. Through this program I look forward to meeting other driven and engaged community members and gaining a deeper understanding of the island that raised me.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Mike Gurat

Mike was born in Kentucky and as an Army brat was raised across six different states.  Upon his dad’s retirement from the military, the family would settle on Maui, the island from which his mom was born and raised.  After graduating from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, Mike attended the University of San Francisco obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and meeting his future wife, Lauren.  Both moved to Maui upon her graduation and Mike would eventually begin a career working in the credit union movement, an industry deeply rooted in the philosophy of people helping people.  Mike would go on to obtain an Executive MBA from the University of Hawai’i Manoa and later graduate from Western CUNA Management School, a management school for credit union professionals.  Mike and Lauren are proud parents to sons: Roen, Lucas, and Max.  Mike enjoys giving back to his community, volunteering at organizations and serving on local county government and non-profit boards.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Kaulana Kino

Kaulana Kino is a battalion chief with MFD and oversees operations in Wailuku, West Maui, Molokai and Lanai. He was born in Waikiki and raised in Waiehu.

Chief Kino began his fire career in 2002 and, in just 12 years, he was promoted to fire captain at the age of 33. Of the 54 MFD captains at the time, he was the only under 40. At 16 years of service he was promoted to one of seven battalion chief positions. He is the youngest chief officer and the fastest ever promoted to his position in the modern history of the MFD. In 2018, as a captain, he was a finalist for fire chief.

His community involvement has included as an American Red Cross Advisory Council board member; volunteering with Maui County Health Volunteers; and with Team Rubicon, a disaster relief volunteer group primarily made up of military veterans. He has deployed to Texas and Florida multiple times for hurricane recovery and in Hawaii for several relief operations.

Chief Kino is a military veteran who specialized in combat communications and deployed to the Middle East in 2003 for the Global War on Terrorism. A lifelong student, he has a BA in Psychology with distinction and has also studied information systems and emergency management. He is also an alumnus of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy and worked in several kitchens around Maui.

He lives in Waiehu with his wife Ashley and three children: Hamilton, Boston and Celine. He enjoys travel and cooking.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Lauren Loor

Lauren Loor is the Healthy Eating + Active Living (HEAL) Program Manager at HIPHI. She originally joined HIPHI in 2017 as the HEAL Community Coordinator for Maui, Molokai, and Lānaʻi. Lauren has a wide range of experience with coalition building,  policy analysis, advocacy, strategic planning, program management, and implementation. As the Program Manager for the HEAL Initiative Lauren works to support programmatic efforts tackling health disparities that affect communities in Hawai‘i and to be of service by advocating for HEAL policy priorities. 

Lauren is originally from New York City and graduated with her Master of Public Health from Long Island University Brooklyn in 2014. She has worked with nonprofit organizations such as the New York Common Pantry and The Partnership for a Healthier New York City. Lauren is a Certified Holistic Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In her free time, Lauren enjoys painting, making macrame, planting succulents, and going to the beach.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Kylee Okazaki

My name is Kylee Okazaki and I am the general manager of Leoda’s Kitchen and pie shop in Olowalu, Hawaii. I have worked in the service industry since I was a teen and continued to work my way through this industry to GM over the past 15 years. I enjoy using my skills to create the best possible experience for our customers as well as employees. My passion for food extends outside of just Leodas, I love trying new foods and traveling just to eat.  In my free time I enjoy traveling the world but mainly to Las Vegas, NV and hanging out with my fur babies. 

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Rachelle Ouye

Rachelle Ouye is a Client Success Manager and Creative Assistant at Sae Design Group. She is dedicated to keeping her team focused, fostering a positive company culture, and helping existing and potential clients appreciate the value of design in everyday life. Aligned with Sae Design Group’s mission, Rachelle is committed to realizing the potential of the community through thoughtful and impactful design. Beyond her professional role, she cherishes her roles as a mother to her two-year-old son, Tiger, a loving wife to her husband, Kalani, and a friend to everyone she meets. Rachelle also serves on the board as Vice President of The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, where her work honors the Nisei ancestors who paved the way for the community. Additionally, as the Maui Representative for the Ma’i Movement, she is devoted to combating period poverty in Hawaii. 

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Donna Paz

Donna Paz is a Special Project Officer at Maui Federal Credit Union, where she leverages her technical, marketing, and business expertise to spearhead various projects in a middle management capacity.

Born in the Philippines, Donna relocated to Kihei with her family before the age of two. Being raised on Maui, gave her the opportunity to grow up learning Maui’s and Hawaii’s community values concurrently with her Filipino heritage. It provided her with a sense of identity and it allowed her to appreciate the diversity and richness of other cultures. During her K-12 education, she was actively involved in school organizations and volunteered for various community organizations, which helped shape her strong sense of community and leadership. 

A proud Maui High School graduate, class of 2012, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Business with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Houston. After starting out her career in the financial services and information technology sector on the continental United States, Donna has returned to her home island of Maui to invest back into the community that raised her. She readily draws from her extensive cultural, academic, professional, and experiential knowledge base to generate practical, inclusive solutions. 

At her core, Donna loves and cares for her home – she volunteers for programs that help propel the next generation of Maui Nui’s citizenry and actively mentors younger colleagues and students. She recently served as the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation 2024 Scholarship Committee co-chair. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she enjoys staying active, continually learning new skills, exploring new places, and spending quality time with loved ones.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Kelly Potts

Kelly Potts’ exuberance for life can be contagious, all thanks to her life-long love for and participation in sports. When she moved to Maui in 1999, she soon found surfing as a therapeutic outlet to express herself in nature, marrying sport with the outdoors. 

Kelly has been a professional waterwoman her entire career. Raised in Ocean Safety and Rescue since joining the Junior Lifeguards program in high school, she was taught by the world’s greatest Ocean Safety Officers, like Archie Kalepa and Brian Keaulana, who train Navy Seals. 

Since graduating high school, Kelly took careers in professional surfing and surf coaching and proudly served in the Maui community for over 20 years. Through volunteerism, she inherited the responsibility of passing on the knowledge of her ocean kumu and saw a way to reconnect Indigenous kids and families to their ancestral ocean through surfing. What started as a charity gathering to teach Maui women surfing in 2010, grew into a nonprofit organization, All Are We Water Collective, which Kelly founded in 2019. 

Currently, Kelly provides surfing and ocean safety courses for Indigenous families in the Pacific Northwest through her nonprofit, has worked with Maui Surfer Girls since 2004, and is proud to make history as the first female head Coach for the Maui Interscholastic League of Surfing in 2024 when she coached for Kūlanihākoʻi High School.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Jade Rojas-Letisi

Jade Rojas-Letisi currently serves as the Council Aide to Councilmember Nohelani U’u-Hodgins, who represents the Makawao-Pa’ia-Haiku Residency Area on the Maui County Council. Her upbringing instilled in her a commitment to philanthropy and sustainable development, values that continue to guide her work in supporting the community and fostering a resilient Maui.

A dedicated community leader with deep roots in Maui, Jade is also a board member of Saint Anthony High School, where she contributes to the school’s growth and success. She is an alumna of Saint Anthony Jr. Sr. High School and pursued higher education in International Business at Linfield University in Oregon, later continuing her studies at the University of Hawai‘i Maui College.

Jade spent six years traveling across the United States, during which she launched a successful photography business. This experience deepened her appreciation for Maui’s unique beauty and culture, reinforcing her passion for giving back to her home island. Upon her return, Jade assumed the role of Marketing Coordinator for Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, where she played a pivotal role in fostering collaboration among local businesses and organizing impactful community events.

In her personal time, Jade enjoys spending time with her two sons and their dogs in Makawao. She is deeply committed to perpetuating her cultural heritage, participating in Japanese Obon dance, and preparing nostalgic Puerto Rican dishes passed down from her Grandma. Jade finds joy in celebrating the rich traditions that shape her family’s life.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Jill Senter

Jill (Shitamoto) Senter returned home to Maui in 2022, after spending 20+ years attending school and working up and down the West Coast. Jill graduated from Maui High School, then went on to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University in Utah, and a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Business Administration from Willamette University in Oregon.

Jill currently works as a Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley, and loves helping Maui residents manage their wealth and plan for their future. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Jill was a Senior Tax Manager for a Big Four Accounting Firm, KPMG, LLP, in Seattle, WA.

Jill loves spending time with her husband, Craig, and three sons, Graham (9), Oakley (7), and Beckett (3). Most weekends are spent cheering on her sons at the baseball and soccer fields, but when she has a free moment or two, Jill enjoys running half-marathons, reading fiction, and spending time with her friends and family. Jill is excited to be back home and that her sons will be just as fortunate as she was to grow up on Maui. 

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Bri Simon

Brianna (Bri) Simon was born on Maui and was raised on the island of Lānaʻi until middle school when she moved to Spokane, WA. From a young age, Bri developed a deep love and curiosity for the environment, especially the ocean. She was determined to study marine biology, and made that dream come true as a first-generation college student at Humboldt State University where she achieved her B.S. in Marine Biology.  

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Stacey Sueoka

Stacey was born and raised on Kaua’i, with roots from her mother’s side on Maui. After graduating from Kaua’i High School she attended Pacific University and studied Physics. As an undergraduate she participated in the Akamai Internship Program where she interned in Kihei at Textron Systems. This opportunity opened her eyes to the technology industry in Hawai’i, so she decided to pursue her PhD in Optical Sciences and Engineering at the University of Arizona. 

Thanks to the alumni network of the Akamai program, she works for the National Solar Observatory (NSO) at the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Haleakalā as an Optical Engineer. Not only does she enjoy working with the team to design, test, build and integrate instrumentation, but she also enjoys teaching, being involved with community engagement, and improving the workplace culture in hopes of retaining and attracting more local talent to her organization. 

She is forever grateful to the Akamai program and supports it every year in a number of instructional roles. At NSO she serves as Diversity Advocate where she works with leadership on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She is also a part of the Kama’aina Connections Program (KCP), a program that empowers local astronomy employees to catalyze bridge-building with the local community and foster a greater appreciation of Hawaiian and local culture in astronomy organizations. Outside of work she spends her time playing soccer, hiking and beach activities. She often flies back to Kaua’i to fish, garden and cook with her family.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Drew Sulock

Drew Sulock, originally from Philadelphia, has lived on several islands throughout the Caribbean before settling on Maui in 2009. Throughout his life, he has always been amazed by the earth’s natural beauty, both above and below sea level. He has spent his entire adult life working on the water, and is inspired to share this world with everyone through photography.

2025 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow

Dani Waring