Mary Therese Perez Hattori holds a B.Ed. and Professional Diploma in Secondary Social Studies with a concentration in Pacific Islands History, a M.Ed. in Educational Technology, and an EdD in Professional Educational Practice at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. A native of Guåhan (Guam), she is one of nine children of Paul Mitsuo Hattori and Fermina Leon Guerrero Perez Hattori (familian Titang) and resides on O‘ahu with her son and husband.
At the Kapi‘olani Community College, she is an Associate Professor of Information Technology and heads the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology. Mary coordinates and manages campus technology support services; provides instructional design and technology support for face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses; and teaches Technology in Education courses. At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education, she teaches courses in the Learning Design and Technology Department and the Professional Educational Practice Doctorate Program.
Vince Hazen grew up in Casper, Wyoming. He earned a BA from Anderson University and an M.F.A. from the University of Notre Dame. Vince was an Associate professor of Art at Chadron State College, 1995-2005. Vince is currently Director of the Honolulu Museum of Art School. Vince has exhibited at the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Contemporary Museum, Mission Houses Museum, and others.
The Honolulu Museum of Art School, opened in 1990 in the historic Linekona building, is the hub of the Honolulu Museum of Art’s arts education programming. Education was the driving force behind the founding of the museum, and the museum has offered classes and tours since it opened in 1927. Today, the Art School reaches approximately 60,000 children and adults each year through studio art classes, workshops with visiting artists, school programs, outreach programs, and exhibitions.
Jocelyn “Josie” Howard graduated from Xavier High School in Micronesia and attended the Community College of Micronesia. She later transferred to the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo studying Biology, Anthropology, and Pacific Island Studies in 1989 making her one of the first Micronesians migrating under the Compact of Free Association Treaty. At the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Josie Howard’s roles included student peer counselor, president of the International Students Association, student researcher at the Minority Biomedical Research Program, resident assistant at the student housing, president of the Chuukese Students Association, as well as chairperson for the Campus Ministry. Josie has over 10 years of servicing the community, with 8 years in the Department of Health Waiver program, 5 years in the Department of Education, and 5 years in program development, implementation, and piloting a one stop center model. Josie’s community involvement includes being the founder of the Young Voyagers, a youth club in Media with ‘Ōlelo, and co-founder of the Micronesian Health Advisory Council, and Micronesian Cultural Awareness Project. Recently Josie earned her Master in Social Work and is now working as a Coordinator/Facilitator at EPIC ‘Ohana Inc. and as a Social Worker at the St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church. Josie is most recognized for her contribution to the “Micronesian Voices in Hawaii Conference” where she participated as one of six steering committee members who worked with Micronesian Government leaders, community leaders, as well as Conference sponsors. She is also known for her work at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii Inc.’s “Imi Loa Program” where she worked with families and their adult children providing direct services as well as managing the programmatic and fiscal operation. She successfully managed and grew the program from a one hundred eighty thousand dollars grant to a one million dollar grant after four years in operation. Mrs. Howard is a native of Onoun Island in Micronesia and she speaks Chuukese, Onounese, and English fluently.
Jancerine Oneisom – Education major at Kapi‘olani CC
Joakim Peter, M.A. in Pacific Island Studies, former Director of Education for the College of Micronesia’s Chuuk campus, is a native Chuukese currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Special Education and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Jojo lived and studied in Hawai‘i for five years in the 1990s. After earning a double Master degree he returned home to Micronesia and worked at the College of Micronesia–FSM at the Chuuk Campus for 15 years before returning to Hawai‘i in 2011. He is currently working on a doctorate degree in the Special Education at the University of Hawai‘i focusing on immigrant families of children with special needs in Hawai‘i. He is a certified assister for the Hawai‘i Health Connector. With fellow community advocates, he co-founded COFA Community & Advocacy Network (COFA-CAN), a community advocacy network that provides awareness and support for crucial legislative and legal initiatives that affects the lives of the Freely Associated States (FAS) citizens living in Hawai‘i and the United States. Mr. Peter is a native of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesian (FSM) and speaks Chuukese and English fluently.
Vidalino Raatior Director, Pacific Islander Student Center & AANAPISI Project, UH Hilo. He comes to UH Hilo from Santa Clara University where he worked as the Assistant Director in the International Programs Office and as Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural Learning for over 10 years. He has also worked as Assistant Director and as a teacher at Xavier High School in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), widely regarded as the best high school in all of Micronesia. Originally from Chuuk, FSM, Vid received his bachelors degree in communication from the University of Guam, a masters degree in school administration from University of San Francisco, and is currently working on his doctorate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He co-founded the Fanapi Foundation to help the outer islands in his home country of Micronesia. Vid is the founder of Pacific Focused, a social enterprise aimed at advancing the success of Pacific Islanders in the diaspora. For more information, visit his website: www.raatior.com.
‘Iwalani Koide Tasaka teaches Elementary and Intermediate Hawaiian Language courses. She is an Associate Professor of Hawaiian for Kapi‘olani Community College. She holds a B.A. in Hawaiian and Speech and a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her passion is teaching students eager to learn more about the language, culture and history of Hawaiʻi.
Her teaching and leadership experience has been in curriculum development of Hawaiian language courses both physical and online at the college level for over 15 years. She has pioneered the development of Hawaiian teaching materials infused with newer technologies. Her leadership experience is fostered in her experiences collaborating with teachers from all levels in various disciplines to enhance their course curriculum. She has also served as a Commissioner for the University of Hawaiʻi Commission on Status of Women for the past 4 years. She is currently the Chairperson of the American Sign, Hawaiian, Foreign Languages discipline at Kapiʻolani Community College.
She is of Hawaiian and Japanese descent born and raised in Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu. She enjoys her free time with her young son taking him to the beach and watching him play baseball for the community.
Rockyner “Rocky” Hadley, a native of Pohnpei and graduate of Xavier High School (class of 2011), is an Economics major who will receive his baccalaureate degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in May 2015. He has received several awards including a scholarship from the Office Of Multicultural Students Services (OMSS) at UHM and the Student Ambassador award from UHM-Office of Vice Chancellor for Students. He completed a summer internship at Penn State University in 2013 and is currently working as a student research assistant for Advanced Studies in Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. He also volunteers as an OMSS Tutor at Episcopal Church After School program at Kalihi and is President for the Micronesian Connections Club at UH Manoa.
Serial Entrepreneur, Lubuw Falanruw is the CEO and Founder of ActivityRez as well as three other businesses in Hawaii; Digital Mediums, Hawaii Visitor Television, and Boom Ventures. In the role of CEO and President, Lubuw provides overall leadership, marketing, strategic guidance, and oversees operations of all his companies. Lubuw has been the recipient of many awards, including ActivityRez ranked #1 in the 2013 Hawaii’s Fastest 50, 2 Magellan Awards: 1st place Gold Award – ActivityRez Promotional Video and 2nd place Silver Award: ActivityRez Agent POS. Lubuw also received the University of Hawaii’s 2006 “Stars of Oceania – Rising Star” Award, was selected as one of the 2005 Pacific Business News Forty Under 40 awardees, Hawaii Young Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Small Business Administration for 2003 and the Hawaii Lieutenant Governor’s Award as a top high technical leader in 2001.
Under his leadership, Digital Mediums was recognized in 2004 as the second fastest growing company in Hawaii within PBN’s Fastest 50 Award, and again in 2005 he was recognized Fastest 50.
Today, Lubuw is the current President of Entrepreneurs Organization Hawaii Chapter 2014 and has served on the Board of Directors for the past five years. He is also been on the Board of Directors with non-profit organizations such as Olelo Community Media as Chair of Online Media for the past three years.
Lubuw has a passion for helping others and gives back to the community through volunteering, charitable contributions, as well as through his own non-profit organization The Falanruw Foundation founded in 2013.