Michelle Kauhane

Michelle Kauhane has held various leadership roles throughout their career. Michelle served as the Senior Vice President - Community Grants and Initiatives at the Hawaii Community Foundation starting in 2018. Prior to that, they were the President and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) from 2012 to 2018. In this role, they led a national network of Native Hawaiian organizations and focused on enhancing the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians. Michelle also worked as the Deputy Director at the Department of Hawaiian Homelands from 2011 to 2012, where they were responsible for protecting and improving the lives of native Hawaiians. Before that, they served as the Executive Director of Hawaiian Community Assets from 2005 to 2011, where they focused on building the capacity of low and moderate-income communities, particularly Native Hawaiians, to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Michelle Kauhane completed their education with a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Gonzaga University, where they attended from 1986 to 1990. Prior to that, they obtained their high school diploma from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus in 1986. In addition to their formal education, Michelle Kauhane acquired the certification "ESG: Navigating the Board's Role" from Berkeley Law Executive Education in May 2021.