Punihei Lipe selected to lead systemwide Native Hawaiian initiative

Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe

Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe

Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe has been named the new director of  the University of Hawaiʻi Hawaiʻi Papa O Ke Ao (HPOKA) and will lead the initiative to advance the 10-campus system’s commitment to becoming an Indigenous-serving and Indigenous-centered institution.

Lipe’s appointment was made by President David Lassner after a rigorous search process and is effective July 22, 2024.

“I embrace this new kuleana with a humble heart, eager to help cultivate a strong, resilient, and responsive community that uplifts Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi (University of Hawaiʻi) as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, rooted in aloha ‘āina,” said Lipe. “This commitment will ensure the preservation and continuation of Hawai‘i's cherished practices for generations to come.”

HPOKA is a work committee with representatives from each of the 10 UH campuses tasked with developing, implementing and assessing strategic actions to embedding ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and Native Hawaiian traditions into UH’s academic and cultural foundation.

Lipe will report directly to the UH President and serve as the primary liaison between the administration and the UH Board of Regents Kuleana Committee. She is also expected to collaborate closely with the Pūkoʻa Council, which is dedicated to increasing the representation of Native Hawaiian students, faculty, staff and administrators across the UH system to 23%, reflecting the percentage of Native Hawaiians in the state’s general population.

“This role is crucial for advancing the new Kuleana Imperative (of the UH Strategic Plan 2023–2029) across all our 10 campuses,” said Lassner. “Punihei’s proven dedication to embedding ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) and principles of aloha at UH Mānoa will surely resonate throughout the entire system in this new position.”

Advancing ʻike Hawaiʻi 

Since 2017, Lipe has led the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (NHPOL) at UH Mānoa, where she has been instrumental in guiding the campus to reflect ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, history and culture in an effort for all to learn, grow, connect and heal. She will continue to serve in that role as she takes on the HPOKA director responsibilities.

“The two positions align perfectly, and though we have a lot of work ahead here at UH Mānoa, it's important that all of our campuses begin down the path of embracing the Hawaiʻi culture so that it informs and guides all that we do,” said Lipe. “Definitely, our work at NHPOL and the various efforts at all of the campuses provides a strong foundation for the work ahead.”

NHPOL team launched Cohort Kumukahi in March 2024, a pioneering initiative to help Mānoa campus units develop five-year strategic plans for becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning. The effort focuses on Native Hawaiian student success, staff and faculty development, Native Hawaiian environments, and community engagement, incorporating values and traditions such as mapping various moʻokūʻauhau (genealogies that shape us) mālama ʻāina (care for the land), oli (chants) and pilina (connection) circles.

Dynamic leader

Lipe also heads the UH Mānoa Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center, one of 50 centers across the U.S. dedicated to developing visionary action plans for advancing justice and building equitable communities.

In 2019, she was among 200 emerging leaders from the Asia-Pacific region selected for the Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific Program. As part of the program, she joined discussions with former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and other leaders on progress, opportunity and values-based leadership.