Hawaiʻi Land Trust hires 5 people and promotes Maui native James Crowe

The nonprofit Hawai‘i Land Trust has hired five people and promoted Maui native James Crowe to Director of Conservation Easement Stewardship, Compliance and Technology.

Crowe now oversees the annual stewardship and monitoring of the Hawaiʻi Land Trust’s 47 conservation easements, leads Land Trust Alliance accreditation and compliance, and manages GIS and map creation and technological advancement.

Crowe has worked for the Hawai’i Land Trust (HILT) since 2006, previously serving in several roles, including stewardship manager. He lives on Maui, where he was born and raised.

The land trust protects, stewards and connects people to the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi through education, public access and cultural practice. 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 lands that grow food, according to the organization.

The land trust’s new hires:

• Zach Horton: Director of Major Gifts. He has more than 15 years of experience in conservation-based philanthropy. His background includes implementing, managing and collaborating on successful fundraising strategies to elevate special initiatives and acquisitions; multimillion-dollar campaigns; and comprehensive major and annual gifts programs for various high-level constituencies. Horton previously worked with the Coral Reef Alliance, The Nature Conservancy in Texas and the Caribbean, the National Wildlife Federation, the Colorado River Alliance and The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and completed the Executive Education Leadership program at Cambridge Judge Business School. Horton lives in Hilo.

• Shea Tamura: Executive Assistant to the CEO. She has experience in hotel and event operations, sales, customer success and management. She most recently lived in San Francisco, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Francisco. Tamura is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and lives on O‘ahu, where she was raised.

• Ewaliko Leota: Steward and Educator at Maunawila Heiau Complex in Hau‘ula, O‘ahu. Leota’s background includes serving as a volunteer and staff member at a Hawaiian preschool. He also has worked as a supervisor to a substitute teacher for Hawaiian immersion. He previously worked for a plant nursery, cultivating and restoring native plants. Leota is a lineal descendent of Hau‘ula.

• Kamahaʻo Acpal: Field Technician. He cares for Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge on Maui. This includes restoring Kapoho Fishpond and caring for native plants in HILT’s nursery. He lives in Waihe‘e, where he was born and raised.

• Olivia Wallace: Maunawila Educator Assistant and Coordinator. She previously completed a mission in London and has served as an intern with Kūpuna Power, where she worked with partners Aloha Diaper Bank and “Gimme a Break” in serving Hawai‘i’s communities. In addition, Wallace is a koʻoko‘o (support) with the Koʻolau nonprofit Ho‘āla ʻĀina Kūpono. Originally from Maui, she is a lineal descendent of Hauʻula, where she now resides.

For more information, go to HILT.org.