HGFA TEAM
Staff
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Kaiulani Odom has been involved in the area of indigenous health for over 30 years. Her specialty is in `Ai Kupele, nutrition from a cultural perspective. She has experience in wellness, education, culinary, research and land-based healing. Her work includes developing educational media for print, television and screen.
From 2011 – 2023, she was the first Director of the Roots Program at Kokua Kalihi Valley, a federally qualified health center. Under her direction the program grew to establish two community gardens, a cultural food hub that supports 30+ farmers, a café, cultural birthing and family health programs, culinary education, community engagement activities, produce prescriptions, internships, and volunteer opportunities. The program was built through deep and intentional listening, accountability and the commitment to a healthier future for all.
She is currently the Executive Director of Hawaii Good Food Alliance, whose members passionately work for a thriving local and sustainable food system. When it comes to the food and health of our land and our people, we move forward by looking back and honoring our elders, traditions and culture.
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Harmonee is passionate about strengthening local food systems and supporting farmers and food producers in Hawaiʻi and across the Islands and Remote Areas region. She served as the Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance (HGFA) from 2021-2023. Prior to that she was the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Sustʻāinable Molokaʻi, which launched in 2010. Her background includes environmental planning with communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Harmonee has a Bachelors from Yale University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
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Tanner grew up in an agricultural community & lifestyle that has instilled a passion for food & land. He has served in various roles with the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance (HGFA) beginning in 2022, helping the organization in its beginning years and later leading a project of HGFA, the Hawaiʻi Farmers Market Association. Before that he served as the Team Leader to the FoodCorps Inc., an AmeriCorps program, from 2019-2021. Tanner has a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Oregon, and it was his service in the Peace Corps (Timor-Leste ʻ16-ʻ18) that led him back to the path of supporting agriculture & food security.
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Lucas is an advocate for sustainable food systems and public health, dedicated to fostering equity and reducing health disparities. As the Managing Director of the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance, he works to ensure that food-insecure communities gain access to nutritious and culturally relevant food. He received his BA in History and Biology from Seattle University and completed the six-month apprenticeship in agroecological horticulture at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. He holds a Master of Public Health from New York University School of Global Public Health.
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Nicole moved to Hawai‘i in 2006 to pursue a doctorate in Geography at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Since then she has worked with Hawai‘i's fishermen and food producers on various projects—including fish flow analyses, sheep shearing, honey bottling, poi making, and now through her work at Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance. Prior to her current position, Nicole spent almost 10 years at The Kohala Center (TKC), a nonprofit based on Hawai‘i Island that supports Hawai‘i’s producers and cooperatives. While at TKC she oversaw the acquisition of over $45M in grant and loan funds for farm and food clients across the state, helping businesses increase their viability. In her new role at Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance, Nicole is overseeing the development of the Hawai‘i Good Food Fund, an initiative that will provide capital coordination, technical assistance, and direct funding to mission-aligned nonprofit and for-profit businesses.
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Born and raised on the Island of Oʻahu - in the red dirt of Mililani, the shorelines stretching north to east, and now rooted in the deep lepo of Waianu, Waiāhole - Christen Noelani Oliveira brings with her the legacy of her kupuna and her commitment to food sovereignty for the future generations of Hawaiʻi. With a Bachelors in Interior Architecture Design and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, Christen blends together the multifaceted layers of regenerative design, indigenous planning, and creative storytelling into Hawaiʻi’s food system. Over the past decade, Christen has been part of the Roots Program of Kōkua Kalihi Valley, where she led development of the Cultural Food Hub, Mobile Market, and CSʻAi (Community Strengthen ʻAi) Programming. Since August of 2024, she has transitioned into the Program Manager of the Hawaiʻi Food Hub Hui at the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance where she is dedicated to empowering communities and uplifting positive change in Hawaiʻi’s food system. Alongside her passion for aloha ʻāina, she believes that every person has the right to safe, healthy and nutritious local food. Christen is a loving mother, daughter, sister, wife, tita, and all around wahine o ke kai.
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Jordan is a dedicated public health and health equity practitioner with a deep passion for food justice. Raised between Missouri and Hawaiʻi, her experiences in Hawaiʻi have inspired her advocacy, fostering a deep appreciation for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture and their enduring resilience. Drawing inspiration from her great-grandfather Owen Whitfield’s legacy in civil rights and equity, Jordan has focused her career on improving health outcomes for marginalized communities. With extensive experience in policy and systems change initiatives at the community, state, and federal level, she now leads the ʻAiaola Food is Medicine Center at the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance where we work to bridge healthcare with local food systems and traditional knowledge. Jordan holds a B.S. in International Health from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, striving to bridge the gap between theory and practice to advance justice and health for all in Hawaiʻi.
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Katherine comes to HGFA from a background in social impact initiatives, nonprofit leadership, and project management, with a deep commitment to equity, advocacy, and resource accessibility. Her work has focused on supporting justice-involved individuals, veterans struggling with mental health, and unhoused Hawai'i youth, helping to break down systemic barriers and create opportunities for underserved communities.
She firmly believe that through peer support and community-driven solutions, we can empower individuals and rebuild a sustainable Hawai‘i where everyone has access to the resources they need to thrive.
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Chisa Woodley is the Controller of HGFA, responsible for overall financial recordkeeping and reporting of all HGFA projects and programs, ensuring effective controls and compliance with GAAP. Before joining HGFA, Chisa has worked for more than 20 years as a financial leader in the non-profit industry. Most recently, she was the CFO for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Foundation, an organization that operates globally to rebuild depleted fish stocks and reduce environmental impacts of fishing. She has a Master’s degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management and is a CPA (inactive status).
