Aloha mai! This year, the Pacific American Foundation’s beloved Herb Lee stepped down as CEO and President (stepping into a new role of CEO Emeritus and remaining on our board). Retiring from the position, not the mission is his new motto, which lives alongside his usuals (aloha ʻāina and mālama ʻāina, being a producer not a consumer, lead with aloha, and so forth). 

Uncle Herb welcomes newcomers into the aloha circle. Photo credit: Grace Cajski

As his successor, Kapono Ciotti, a longtime member of the PAF ʻOhana, has taken the helm. Kapono’s worldwide expertise, copious teaching experience, and humorous spirit make him a wise, thoughtful, and impactful leader. As before, we have Derek Esibill, waterman extraordinaire and former middle school teacher, although he is now our Chief Operations Officer (COO). Jayten Galario is our knowledgeable kiaʻi loko, with Waylin Kaneakua as our aquaculture specialist. We continue to be grateful to Uncle Glen for caring for our pond, too. We have Kai Mead as our Director of Education Services and Louis F Perez III as our CFO.

Milo trees grow near the third mākāhā. Photo credit: Grace Cajski

Grace Cajski, who has been part of the PAF ʻOhana since 2024 and a mentee of Uncle Herb’s since 2021, is our Community Engagement and Storytelling Coordinator. In this new role, Grace will help PAF tell the story of our work, which we believe to be a necessary component of our mission. By recording our ʻike and manaʻo, we can serve as a repository for and generative force of knowledge and culture. We hope that by bridging past and future—being stewards passing through time—we can see our people and ʻāina thrive once again. This blog will be part of this initiative. 

Any questions or comments can be directed to Grace, who is reachable at grace@thepaf.org.

Standing at the shoreline, visitors see the kuapā and Mōkapu. Photo credit: Grace Cajski