Trustee Jennifer Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua

Vice Chair

Dr. Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua’s professional career includes over two decades in academia. She has worked at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa since 2007, serving as a political science professor, department chair and assistant vice provost for faculty excellence. She has played a major role in building the university’s Indigenous Politics program.

In addition to her work as an educator and administrator, Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua is an internationally recognized scholar, who has over 20 years of research experience in Hawaiian education and Indigenous movements for self-determination. Noelani has been selected as a 2026 Omidyar Fellow, cohort X.

Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua serves the community as a board member for Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Wai‘anae Community Redevelopment Corporation/MA‘O Organic Farms. She previously served as secretary and executive board member for the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, co-founder and board president of Mana Maoli, board member for Hui o Kuapā and Hawai‘i’s People Fund, and co-founder and board member of Hālau Kū Māna New Century Public Charter School.

A 1992 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua earned a Ph.D. in history of consciousness from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian studies and political science from UH Mānoa.

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The Board of Trustees