Eight people from Hawaii have been chosen to be part of the Obama Foundation’s emerging leaders program for the Asia-Pacific region. They will join a cohort
of 200 people from 33 nations and territories for
a conference in Malaysia next month that will serve as the kickoff event for a yearlong leadership program.
Former President
Barack Obama and his wife,
Michelle, will be among the speakers at the conference scheduled for Dec. 10-14.
Leaders chosen from
Hawaii include:
>> Troy J.H. Andrade, law professor and director, Ulu Lehua Scholars Program, University of Hawaii at
Manoa.
>> L. Kealoha Fox, Native Hawaiian liaison, AlohaCare.
>> Kaiwipunikauikawekiu Lipe, Native Hawaiian
Affairs program officer, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
>> Kaleo Manuel, deputy director, State Commission on Water Resource Management.
>> Breanna Rose, director of operations and partnerships, Hawai‘i Green Growth Local2030 Hub.
>> Benjamin Eduardo
Trevino, sustainability planner, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.
>> Alec Wagner, director, Purple Prize, Purple Mai‘a Foundation.
>> Vehia Wheeler,
consultant, Sustainable Oceania Solutions.
The five-day conference is “designed to further inspire, empower, and connect the emerging leaders to change the world,” according to a news release from the Obama Foundation. “While in Malaysia,
the leaders will be joined
by prominent speakers
and thought leaders who will discuss topics such as
progress and opportunity
in the Asia-Pacific region, values-based leadership, and the intersection of
purpose and entrepreneurship during a series of
plenary sessions.”
Those chosen for the yearlong program are also expected to participate in webinars and a virtual speakers series.
In January nearly two dozen young people from the region met in Honolulu to help plan the leadership program including Fox and Manuel, who are among the eight people from Hawaii chosen for the program.
The Asia-Pacific program follows the first international leaders program launched by the Obama Foundation in Africa in 2018.
