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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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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Anna has a background in editorial storytelling and a passion for local food systems. Born in North Dakota with family roots in farming, she grew up in Colorado alongside corn fields and attended Colorado College for a bachelor’s degree in English. Since moving to Hawaiʻi as an Americorps VISTA in 2009, she has worked in media as a writer and editor, most notably as national editor with NMG Network. In 2019, she graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s in sustainable solutions. Her culminating project focused on climate mitigation through agriculture with the Coalition on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, which developed into a report for the U.S. Climate Alliance. Returning to Hawaiʻi in 2021 with a baby in tow, she worked as project manager for Onward Creative and admin/comms for budding nonprofit Pālehua Conservation Initiative. She is dedicated to telling the stories of the diverse communities growing, sharing, uplifting and eating good food in Hawaiʻi. At HGFA, she is committed to strengthening internal and external communications, deepening community connections, and knowledge sharing.
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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 believes 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).
Board of Directors
Dr. Monica K. Esquivel, President
Kristin Frost Albrecht, Vice President
Alexandra Kazlausky, Treasurer
Kauʻi Kanakaʻole, Secretary
Kaʻiulani Odom, Executive Director
Betsy Cole, Board Member
Kilikina Mahi, Board Member
Yoshito L’Hote, Board Member
Alliance ʻOhana Leadership
Cheryl Kaʻuhane Lupenui, The Kohala Center
Kristin Frost Albrecht, The Food Basket
Kukui Maunakea-Forth, MAʻO Organic Farms
Avary Maunakea, Kahumana Organic Farm and Food Hub
Lisa Paulson, Maui Food Bank
Jesse Lipman, Roots at Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Alicia Higa, ʻElepaio Social Services
