Dr. Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe was named Kamehameha Schools Kapālama po‘o kula in 2026.
A proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, she returned to her alma mater after serving in senior leadership roles at the University of Hawai‘i, where she advanced Native Hawaiian education, Indigenous leadership, and institutional transformation through ‘ike Hawai‘i. She brings more than two decades of experience in education, cultural leadership, and community engagement to her role, where she is committed to nurturing future generations of Hawaiian learners and leaders who are rooted, resilient, and responsive to their communities.
Prior to joining Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, Dr. Lipe served as the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s inaugural Native Hawaiian Affairs Program Officer, leading campus-wide efforts to advance the university's vision of becoming a recognized Native Hawaiian place of learning. She also directed the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center, the Institute for Hawaiian Language Research and Translation, and later led Hawai‘i Papa O Ke Ao, the University of Hawai‘i's systemwide initiative dedicated to embedding Native Hawaiian values, knowledge, and practices across its 10 campuses.
Recognized nationally for her leadership, Dr. Lipe was selected as a 2019 Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific Fellow, collaborating with emerging leaders to advance values-based community leadership throughout the region. In 2022, she became an inaugural fellow in the Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing, a program of the National Collaborative for Health Equity. In 2026, she introduced former President Barack Obama during the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, delivering a culturally grounded address that reflected shared Hawai‘i roots and invited listeners to draw inspiration from Indigenous wisdom.
After graduating from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, Dr. Lipe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, a Master of Science degree in counseling psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
