Hawaiʻi Land Trust appoints three new board directors, including Makawao native

Hawai‘i Land Trust, the statewide local nonprofit that protects, stewards and connects people to the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi, has appointed three new directors to its 2022 Board.

The new directors:

• Uʻilani Tanigawa Lum: Originally from Makawao, she is an attorney and cultural practitioner who serves as a Legal Fellow at Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law at the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law. She is also President of the West Maui Preservation Association, and a founder and Director of Operations at Kāhuli Leo Leʻa, a nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing aloha ʻāina through mele and other cultural practices. Tanigawa Lum is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Maui and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Hawaiian Studies. She graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2019 with certificates in Native Hawaiian Law and Environmental Law. She also published a book “Malu ʻUlu o Lele – Maui Komohana in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa” and earned a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for the liner notes for the album, “Huliāmahi, Vol.1.”  As a hula practitioner, Tanigawa Lum recently underwent formal ʻūniki ceremonies, and ensures space for the practice of hula, ʻohana and the kuleana that surrounds those kahua. She will serve as secretary on the Hawaiʻi Land Trust board.

• David Carswell: He is an outdoor recreation entrepreneur who founded and has overseen several businesses spanning horseback riding, cattle ranching and an athletic club. He co-founded Princeville Ranch Adventures with his wife, Denise, and expanded the recreational activities at the ranch to include hiking, kayaking and ziplining. He also co-founded Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures. Carswell’s passion for horsemanship and ranching dovetail with his interest in land stewardship.

• Joey Aquino: He has more than 12 years of experience working with and supporting technology entrepreneurs in Hawai‘i and globally. He currently leads strategic startup partnerships at Amazon Web Services, where he has supported more than 10,000 entrepreneurs worldwide over the past eight years.

Aquino previously led business development at Teachstreet.com, a startup connecting students and teachers, and he oversaw program initiatives in more than 30 countries for the entrepreneurship nonprofit UP Global. Aquino earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawai‘i Shidler College of Business. He serves on the board of Hawai‘i Kids Can and is an active venture investor.

Over the past decade, the nationally accredited land trust has protected more than 21,700 acres across the islands through land purchases and conservation easements, protecting Hawai‘i’s coastlines, cultural landscapes and agricultural lands. For more information, visit HILT.org.

The Hawaiʻi Land Trust’s 2022 Board:

• Lisa Grove, Chair
• Jennifer Luck, Vice Chair
• Keith K. Ogata, Treasurer
• Uʻilani Tanigawa Lum, Secretary
• Mary Charles, Past Chair
• Joey Aquino
• Matt Beall
• David Carswell
• Jocelyn Garovoy Herbert
• Leahi Hall
• Neil J. Hannahs
• Marissa Harman
• Jody Kaulukukui
• Larry Stevens
• Roy A. “Randy” Vitousek
• Teresa Young