Kawika Riley

Kawika Riley serves as the Vice President of External Affairs at Kupu, Hawaii's largest youth-focused conservation organization, since August 2020. Alongside this role, Kawika is involved in various capacities at Harvard University, including Senior Director of External Affairs and Research Fellow for the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development. Previous experience includes roles as Program Director at The George Washington University, Community Change Initiatives Manager at Liliʻuokalani Trust, and Chief Advocate at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Additionally, Kawika founded the Pacific Islander Access Project and has held significant positions with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Kawika is an alumnus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, holding a PhD in Political Science, and has pursued extensive professional development in areas such as emergency management and tribal governance.