Hawai‘i Community Lending introduces new board of directors

Hawai‘i Community Lending has new members of its board of directors. They are Kawena Beaupré, Jaclyn Kaina and Alapaki Nahale‘a. Returning board members are Billy Pieper (president) and Felicity “Kui” Meyer (treasurer).

Beaupré is senior vice president and general counsel at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, according to an announcement. She is the great granddaughter of pre-eminent Hawaiian scholar and educator Mary Kawena Pukui. Beaupré has built her career and personal life around helping others, fostering community and building a network of trusted relationships. Prior to her work with the foundation, she was an associate in the tax department of Cades Schutte LLLP where she practiced in the areas of tax and finance.

Kaina is executive director of Kaua‘i Economic Development Board, a position she has held since 2022. A proponent of “transformational and servant leadership,” Kaina is an experienced leader who knows what it takes to help communities thrive, the announcement says.

According to the announcement, Nahale‘a believes in a future “where every family is part of a thriving community and where individual and collective well-being manifests a better world for all.” A principal at Islander Institute, Alapaki strives to address systemic issues using island values. 

He leads initiatives around locally rooted community leadership development, sustainable local food system innovation, and community empowered education initiatives.

Pieper was born and raised on O‘ahu. He is senior vice president and director of strategic partnerships with American Savings Bank and has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He serves as board chair of Friends of ‘Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum and Ke Ali‘i Pauahi Foundation. 

Meyer is also from O‘ahu. She is a branch manager and residential loan officer at Security National Mortgage Company. With more than 30 years in the mortgage industry, Kui knows how to work with homeowners, buyers, builders and real estate professionals to help members of her community gain and retain homeownership.

In a newsletter, Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath said Hawai‘i Community Lending understands that “homeownership is about more than just a home.”

“It’s about our families reconnecting to land and perpetuating their culture and traditions,” he said. “It’s about being able to grow food to feed ourselves, having a stable place to heal ourselves, and to build our financial assets.”

In 2024, HCL distributed 394 grants and loans into the community, totaling $15.3 million. This resulted in 241 local and Native Hawaiian families successfully building, buying or saving their homes from foreclosure.

“Together, we grew our revolving loan fund to $25 million with products investing in the affordable housing ecosystem, from the home builder to the homebuyer to the homeowner,” Gilbreath said. “At a time when our housing crisis continues to threaten the fabric of our communities and the ability of our people to get on the land and stay there, partners like you have been right alongside us making a difference one family at a time.”