Although the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged us, this crisis has also underscored our ability to ho‘omau (persevere) and our commitment to mālama one another. We see this every day in the actions of our Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana.
Since early March, 40 KS staffers stepped up to the challenge and assumed additional duties to help safeguard the health and well-being of our haumāna and staff as part of our very own COVID-19 Response Team. Bringing their unique mana‘o and expertise, this diverse hui empowers KS to take matters into our own hands so we can act swiftly and with aloha.
On the front line in our fight to keep our KS ‘ohana healthy are team members from departments across the organization including health services, enterprise safety, education safety, human resources, compliance, and legal as well as athletic trainers and education personnel.
Each team member plays a critical role in helping KS develop new and best practices in responding to the ever-shifting threat of COVID-19 – from monitoring the spread of the virus to providing guidance to those exposed and keeping informed on the latest medical research and preventative guidelines. But above all, the core kuleana of this hui is contact tracing.
Our team of certified contract tracers tracks the spread of COVID-19 within our KS system, notifies those who may have been exposed, and determines who needs to quarantine if there’s been on-site exposure.
Their work is also the foundation of the information we share on our COVID-19 website, empowering us all to make informed decisions. We are incredibly proud of those on the contact tracing team who went the extra mile to earn special certification through John Hopkins University.
KS Senior Director of Enterprise Safety & Student Well-Being Crystal Busey underscores the immense value of having in-house contact tracers and acknowledges their diligence and hard work.
“We know time is of the essence when it comes to identifying those who may have come into contact with someone with COVID-19,” Busey said. “Our certified contract tracers respond rapidly across the KS system when needed. They work day and night to protect the health and safety of our staff and students. They have also remained flexible and dedicated as guidelines and medical research has continued to evolve.”
Beyond contact tracing, our response team supports students and staff who have tested positive by providing guidance and helping to ease their transition to distance learning or working from home.
Throughout it all, our subject matter experts are tuning into and examining the recent findings from cutting-edge research and new guidelines from federal, state and local officials, ensuring we can pivot nimbly when needed.
We honor, recognize and mahalo our COVID-19 Response Team, whose work is essential to ensuring we can continue to fulfill Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s vision for a thriving lāhui.
To learn more about our latest efforts to keep our KS ‘ohana safe and healthy, please visit the KS COVID-19 updates and resources website.
Mahalo to our core COVID-19 Response Team members:
Liz Ahana – Senior Consultant, Public Relations Strategy
Carl Alexander – Manager, Education Safety and Risk
Crystal Busey – Senior Director, Enterprise Safety & Student Well-Being
Jason Choy – Manager, HR Consulting
Dr. Kenny Fink – Director, Student Health Services
Darrel Hoke – EVP, Administration
Cliff Jamile – Senior Director, HR Consulting
Haulani Kaleoaloha – Project Manager, Strategy & Technology
Alison Leary – Director, Facilities Development
Nāhoa Lucas – Senior Counsel, Legal Education Division
Leah Mariani – Education Safety Manager
Nicole Read – Manager, Health Services (KS Kapālama)
Mike Shibata – Manager, Business Continuity and Emergency Management
Michelle Swan – Program Manager, HR Compliance
Sabrina Toma – Director, Legal Education Division
Neil Yamamoto – Manager, Enterprise Safety & Student Well-Being
Mahalo to our Certified COVID-19 Contact Tracers
Carl Alexander – Manager, Education Safety and Risk
Jill Andres – Athletic Trainer, (KS Kapālama)
Alika Asing – Supervisor, Athletic Trainers (KS Maui)
Christy Benanua – Registered Nurse (KS Kapālama)
Crystal Busey – Senior Director, Enterprise Safety & Student Well-Being
Dana Cassino-Stamey – HR Consultant
Amy Chamberlain – Chief of Staff, Financial Assets
Jason Choy – Manager, HR Consulting
Mac Collins – Senior Ethics and Compliance Consultant
Zeny Eakins – Supervisor, Athletic Trainers (KS Hawai‘i)
Wendy Erskine – High School Principal (KS Kapālama)
Timothy Freitas – Senior Specialist, Instructional Technology (KS Kapālama)
Erin Harkleroad – Athletic Trainer (KS Maui)
Cliff Jamile – Senior Director, HR Consulting
Lynn Johnson – HR Consultant
Leane Kaneko – Business Process Consultant, HR
Alison Leary – Director, Facilities Development
Nāhoa Lucas – Senior Counsel, Legal Education Division
Ella Mae Lum – Registered Nurse (KS Kapālama)
Leah Mariani – Education Safety Manager
Patricia Matsumoto – Director, Finance and Administration (KS Kapālama)
Kirsten Oshiro – Compensation Analyst, HR
Jake Pacarro – High School Vice Principal (KS Kapālama)
Stacy Pettersson – High School Interim Dean, Student Well-Being (KS Kapālama)
Nicole Read – Manager, Health Services (KS Kapālama)
Carolyn Saiki – HR Consultant
Sandra Scarborough – Senior HR Consultant (KS Maui)
Mike Shibata – Manager, Business Continuity and Emergency Management
Amy Shirk – Athletic Trainer (KS Hawai‘i)
Michelle Swan – Program Manager, HR Compliance
Michelle Takai – Manager, Ethics and Compliance
Reid Takano – Athletic Trainer (KS Kapālama)
Tracy Terlep – Senior HR Consultant (KS Hawai‘i)
Sabrina Toma – Director, Legal Education Division Winona White (HR)
Cheryl Yamamoto – High School Dean of Student Activities (KS Kapālama)
Neil Yamamoto – Manager, Enterprise Safety & Student Well-Being
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