Meet Our Team

Kelley Lehuakeaopuna Uyeoka was born and raised in Kailua, Oʻahu and traces her ‘ohana lineage to the ‘āina of Puna and Kohala, Hawai‘i Island and Kīpahulu and Haneo‘o, Maui. She graduated from Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama, then received her B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Pacific Island Studies from UH Hilo. In 2009 she received her Masters in Applied Archaeology and a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from UH Mānoa. Kelley has worked for a number of cultural resource management (CRM) companies on a variety of projects including cultural impact studies, archaeological surveys, collections management projects, and ethnohistorical studies. She developed the Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program in 2010 and continues to serve as Program Director. In 2012 she helped to create Huliauapaʻa, a non-profit organization whose mission is to grow Hawaiʻi’s communities through culturally based dimensions of innovative learning, leadership development and collaborative networking in wahi kupuna stewardship. In 2013 Kelley and her partner, Kekuewa Kikiloi, developed Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, an ʻŌiwi owned and operated social enterprise focusing on deepening the connections between kānaka and ʻāina.

Dominique Leu Cordy up all over Oʻahu, and now lives and farms kalo with her kāne and their two keiki in Haleleʻa and Koʻolau, Kauaʻi. She currently does research across the pae ʻāina focusing on land in Hawaiʻi, she specializes in archival research, ethnography, and GIS mapping. She has a BA in Cultural anthropology from University of California at Davis and an MA in Pacific Island studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of Wahi Kūpuna stewardship in Hawaiʻi and the industry of Cultural Resource Management (CRM); HAR 6E and 13-300, Section 106, archaeology, EA and EIS compliance work, community ethnography, Hawaiian Kingdom land use and tenure, and GIS databasing and research. Dominique has managed and developed cultural and historical GIS databases for government agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE-POH), the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. She engages actively in community organizations that seek to protect, preserve, and educate about Hawaiʻi's precious wahi kūpuna and is a founding and participating member of the Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective. She also works for two non-profits: The Hanalei Initiative and Nohopapa.

Momi Wheeler was born and raised in Wahiawā, Oʻahu and resides in Waikahekahe Nui, Hawaiʻi. Her ʻohana lineage is to the ʻāina of Puna and Kohala, Hawaiʻi and Makaweli, Kauaʻi. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH) receiving a B.S. in agriculture with a specialty in aquaculture. For over 12 years, Momi is grateful to have worked with private archaeology firms in Hawaiʻi gaining experience with cultural impact studies, community ethnography, ethnohistorical research and various types of archaeological surveys, monitoring, and reports. Her kuleana with Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, LLC is serving as kanaka ʻōiwi researcher and field kōkua on various Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship (WKS) projects throughout the pae ʻāina. As well as kuleana with the non-profit organization, Huliauapaʻa, serving as their Outreach and Project Coordinator. She enjoys giving back to her lā hui in the perpetuation of Aloha ʻĀina and is a native stream life enthusiast.

Rachel Hoerman is a settler who calls Kailua, O’ahu, home. Born and raised on the continent, she traces her family’s roots to Eastern Europe. She holds a B.A. in history and studio art from Lawrence University, Wisconsin, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from UH Mānoa. A Nohopapa Hawaiʻi Principal and Archaeologist, Rachel possesses 17 years of academic and applied heritage preservation experience throughout Oceania, including seven years of managing cultural resources management projects throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and innovating LiDAR and remote sensing archaeological services. Her passion and interests lie in heritage policy advocacy, allyship, and working to actualize place and community-based wahi kūpuna stewardship. In addition to her role with Nohopapa, Rachel serves as a Historic Preservation Specialist and Project Coordinator with the non-profit Huliauapaʻa and an adjunct professor in Anthropology at UH Mānoa.

ʻIolani Kaʻuhane was raised on Oʻahu and currently resides on Hawaiʻi Island, where he specializes in wahi kūpuna stewardship and cultural resource management (CRM). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a focus on Hawaiian Archaeology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and brings over a decade of expertise in archaeological fieldwork, archival research, and community outreach. His work is grounded in the integration of Native Hawaiian values and culturally appropriate methodologies in resource management practices. Iolani has collaborated with a range of organizations, including Huliauapaʻa, Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, Pohakulo Training Area Cultural Resources Program, and the State of Hawaiʻi Historic Preservation Division. His expertise spans Section 106 compliance, Hawaii Revised Statues §6E Historic Preservation, and culturally appropriate archaeological services. He has conducted field studies in culturally significant locations such as the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Ahu a ʻUmi Heiau. Also as a member of Huliauapaʻa, Iolani plays a pivotal role in facilitating archaeological field schools that emphasize community-based research and the integration of cultural perspectives into resource management. His commitment to fostering connections between kānaka and ʻāina, coupled with his dedication to preserving and honoring Hawaiʻi’s cultural heritage, underscores his leadership in the field of cultural resource management.

Tehani M. Quitevis was born and raised in Waialua, Oʻahu, and traces her ʻohana lineage to the ʻāina of Hilea nui and Kaʻalāiki in Kaʻū. She earned her B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and her Juris Doctor with certificates in Native Hawaiian Law and Environmental Law from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2022. Tehani brings extensive experience in legal research, community engagement, and cultural resource management. She has served as a law clerk for the Honorable Rowena A. Somerville of the First Circuit Court of Oʻahu and worked with organizations such as the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and NOAA Fisheries Pacific Island Regional Office. Her expertise includes tribal consultation practices, environmental law, and Hawaiian cultural preservation. Currently, Tehani serves as an ethnohistorical specialist for Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, LLC, and a legal specialist and program kākoʻo for Huliauapaʻa. She is dedicated to integrating cultural perspectives into her work and ensuring the stewardship of Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources.

Amber Souza is from Honomakaʻu, Kohala, Hawaiʻi Island and currently resides in Waiākea, Hilo. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Hawaiian Studies with a concentration in Mālama ʻĀina (Cultural Resource Management) from Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and holds a Masters in Social Work with a specialization in Child and Family from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She was a participant in the 2019 Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program where she inventoried historical changes of the Waipā kahawai to aid in strengthening stewardship practices and has worked within Huliauapaʻa initiatives since 2020.

Kalena Lee-Agcaoili was born and rasied in Kīhei on the island of Maui and currently resides in the malu of Wailuku. She received her Bacherlors of Arts in Hawaiian Langauge and Hawaiian Studies with a concentration in Mālama ʻĀina (Cultural Resoruce Management) from Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, and holds a Masters in Hawaiian Studies, as well as a Masters Certificate in Public Administration Non-profit Managment from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She was a participant in the 2019 Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program where she researched and identified the traditional names of water resources belonging to Waipā, Kauaʻi utilizing historic documents in efforts to allow the acnestral names of place to be returned to the memories of today’s community and the lands of which these names belong to. Kalena began working with Huliauapaʻa in 2020 serving as a Community Workshop Coordinator and as the Sustainability Kākoʻo (Grant Writer). She also helps to support the Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective. She currently serves as the Pae Moananuiākea Hub Coordinator for the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Sciences, and works with Nohopapa Hawaiʻi as a Cultural Research Specialist.

Kepo‘o Keli‘ipa‘akaua Kepo‘o Keli‘ipa‘akaua currently lives in Makiki on Oʻahu. He received his M. A. in ʻIke Hawaiʻi in 2021, and his B.A. in ‘Ike Hawai‘i and ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in 2015 from Hawaiʻinuiākea at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He has been working with Nohopapa Hawaiʻi and Huliauapaʻa for over nine years in multiple roles as a project lead, researcher, field assistant and alakaʻi on various Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship (WKS, previously known as cultural resource management) projects across the pae ʻāina from Hawaiʻi Island to Papahānaumokuākea. Kepoʻo also serves on the ʻAha Kuapapa, the steering committee, for the Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective, an organization that has assembled for the purpose of elevating Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship through collaborative efforts extending across government, private, and community sectors. His primary strengths and passions lie in Native Hawaiian ethnohistorical research pertaining to ʻāina and ʻāina systems, especially as may be reconstructed from information found in historical maps and Mahele documents. His specialty lies in combining these niche approaches to ethnohistorical research with tools like ArcGIS to integrate ancestral ʻike with geospatial representations to analyze and assess suitable pathways for facilitating reconnections between kānaka and their ancestral ʻāina and to identify sustainable land use activities that perpetuate the history and culture of place. Kepoʻo is currently a student in the PhD program in the department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and his research focus is guided by values and principles that are grounded in, and prioritize Indigenous Knowledge and place-based, and community-driven outcomes.

Lilia Merrin is from Wailua, Puna, Kauaʻi. She recieved her M.A. in ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Studies) in 2019 and her B.A. in ʻIke Hawaiʻi and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) and in 2015 from Hawaiinuiākea at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She has been working with Nohopapa Hawaiʻi for over five years as a Cultural Research Specialist, Field Assistant and Alakaʻi on various Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship (WKS, previously known as Cultural Resource Management or CRM) projects across the Pae ʻĀina from Hawaiʻi Island to Papahānaumokuākea. She specializes in Ethnohistorical Research, Writing, Community Ethnography, as well as, Web and Technical Support. Lilia also works as a Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program Instructor, Program Coordinator, and Communications Officer for the non-profit Huliauapaʻa. She is currently a Dev-Island Boot-camp student learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.js to build web applications.

Kuʻupua Mossman is from Kalauao, Ewa, Oʻahu and currently resides in Kalama Valley. She received dual Bachelors of Arts degrees in Environmental Studies and Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and in 2019, graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law where she earned Environmental and Native Hawaiian Law certificates in addition to her Juris Doctorate. During law school, Kuʻupua focused her legal education on social justice issues in Hawaiʻi, participating in Native Hawaiian law trainings across the pae ʻāina and working on wrongful conviction cases with the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project. In addition to her studies, she worked as a Pre-Law Advisor, externed at the Hawai'i Supreme Court and the Office of the Public Defender, and clerked for Senator Mazie Hirono in Washington D.C. Most recently, Kuʻupua worked as a Post-J.D. Legal Fellow for Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. More specifically, her placement was with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Division where she worked to amend the division's administrative rules, assess historic preservation violations, and led the legal training sessions for the Island Burial Councils.

Kalama‘ehu Takahashi is a resident of the Kāʻanapali moku on the island of Maui. He received a M.A in Hawaiian Studies in 2021, B.A. inʻIke Hawaiʻi with a concentration in Mālama ʻĀina (Cultural Resource Management) from Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and a B.A. in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi from Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language in 2015. A pivotal experience in the beginning of his graduate and professional career was participating in the Wahi Kūpuna Internship Stewardship Program (2015, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi),where he researched traditional land tenure and highlighted applications in contemporary stewardship practices. Kalamaʻehu is continually inspired by community and place and seeks to highlight these connections in his work as a researcher for Nohopapa. He has worked on various Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship (WKS, previously known as cultural resource management) projects with specialization in Ethnohistorical Research and Writing since 2021.

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Travis Kanoa Chai Andrade was born and raised in Wahikahekahe, Hawaiʻi and graduated from the Kamehameha Schools, Hawaiʻi Campus. He was awarded the ReachOut 56-81-06 Domestic Fellowship from Princeton University, where he recently received his AB in sociocultural anthropology, to work with Huliauapaʻa on promoting community-based wahi kūpuna stewardship. As a participant in the 2024 Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program, Travis conducted ethnohistorical research for nā ʻohana in Keālia which led to him rediscovering ʻohana connections to Keauhou and Maluaka on Hawaiʻi Island. He previously served as a Native American Fellow at the Peabody Essex Museum in Exhibition Planning and an Adrienne Arsht Intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Micheal C. Rockefeller Wing (Oceania). Throughout this fellowship, Travis also hopes to improve his ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, geospatial and mapping skills, and connection to ʻāina as he prepares for graduate school in the future.