NEWS RELEASE

Albert ‘Alapaki’ Nahale-a selected to lead Kamehameha Schools’ Hawaiʻi island regional strategies

Albert “Alapaki” Nahale-a, KS senior director of regional strategies for Hawai‘i island.

Kamehameha Schools has named Albert “Alapaki” Nahale-a senior director of regional strategies for Hawai‘i island.  The new position is part of the Community Engagement & Resources Group (CE&R); a new addition to the KS organizational structure, working to connect programs, services, lands and resources with communities KS interacts with and helps support.  Most recently, Nahale-a served as director of the Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School and currently serves on the Presidential Scholars Commission, appointed by President Obama.

Nahale-a started in his new role on November 16 and oversees all CE&R operations for West and East Hawai‘i.  As senior director, Nahale-a is tasked with facilitating the formation of the East Hawai‘i regional structure, a key action item of CE&R’s strategic goals for its Strategic Plan 2020 (SP2020). He is also responsible for the effective coordination and execution of new and existing programs and initiatives implemented as part of the new plan.

CE&R uses a community-based approach to design and implement educational and land management strategies that address specific needs in nine regions statewide. Each strategy is intended to include programs, services and other support pulled from the full portfolio of KS resources.

“The goal is to ensure maximum relevance of KS functions and resources, relative to the realities and opportunities of the communities we work with,” said Kā‘eo Duarte, VP of Community Engagement and Resources. “The KS ‘regional approach’ is meant to bring focus to our understanding of community strengths and challenges, build strong relationships, and seek opportunities for collective impact.”

Prior to joining KS, Nahale-a spent over 20 years serving community in a variety of roles.  He was the director and chairman of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Trust (DHHL), East Hawai‘i DHHL commissioner, director of Kā ‘Umeke Kā‘eo Immersion Public Charter School, chairperson of the County of Hawai‘i Cultural Resources Commission, board member of Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, and executive director of the Hawai‘i Charter Schools Network.

“I am excited and honored to join the CE&R ‘ohana," said Nahale-a.  “I look forward to working with our team and the community to thoughtfully develop the best path to improving the well-being of our lāhui.”

Born and raised in Hilo, Nahale-a is a 1986 graduate of Kamehameha Schools and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.