In its most recent Maui Tech ʻOhana, a business support and networking opportunity, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) offered an interactive gathering with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI). During the session, guest speaker Doug Nelson, founder and CEO of Kinection and an AI consultant with The Prompt, explored some of the human skills that matter most for effective collaboration, even as AI becomes an increasingly important part of the workforce.
Based on Maui, Nelson has successfully produced over 20 interactive courses, simulations, and games in the eight years since he founded Kinection. At The Prompt, he trains corporate and nonprofit teams to use AI to enhance creativity and impact. Nelson has also worked to prioritize cultural diversity and community-building throughout his career.
“My job is to help people understand AI innovations and how to succeed in an AI world,” he said. “It’s time for a different way to think, a new mindset. While AI is rapidly changing how tasks get done, strong human connection remains essential for communication and collaboration. We need to learn how to use AI, not as a replacement for people, but as a way to free up valuable time and resources.”
Nelson used structured games and playful activities during the session to help attendees connect and share in ways that felt natural, energizing, and meaningful. He explored three human skills—presence, risk-taking, and adaptability—to show how to build safety, trust, and connection.
Participants offered their takeaways from the event. Jerry Isdale from Maui Techies noted, “I’ve noticed that people are hungry for more AI discussion at all different levels. MEDB presented a vital topic at the right time.”
Tech consultant Sarah Tomascik said, “This Tech ʻOhana offered an interesting dynamic in an experimental way to think about how human connection and AI can be used in cooperation with each other, instead of in opposition. I saw what we can gain from interpersonal relationships and the interconnectivity that forms from networking. This was a great experience!”
Nelson concluded, “This interaction provided a fresh appreciation for why human skills are critically important in an AI-driven world. We also discussed how to bring these activities to the workplace and build these new skills.”
More information about MEDB’s Maui Tech ʻOhana program and to sign up for MEDB’s newsletter, visit https://www.medb.org/techohana/.
My hope is that people understand that, while AI will lead to change, we need to remember essential human qualities are still needed for success.
Doug Nelson, Founder and CEO, Kinection, Partner, The Prompt
From muddy pastures to midnight emergencies, Dr. Christy Haines from Makawao Veterinary Clinic (MVC) brings her heart and hustle to large-animal veterinary care. A kamaʻāina born and raised in Upcountry Maui, Haines holds a degree in biology from the University of Virginia and received her doctorate from Colorado State University Veterinary School. She then completed an equine internship at Blue Ridge Equine Clinic, a referral and surgical center for horses in Virginia.
In 2021, Dr. Haines moved back to Maui. “I was lucky enough to grow up here, and I want to do my part to give back to the community,” she said. “I’m a mixed-animal veterinarian, so I see both large and small animals: horses, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, pigs, cows, and the occasional chicken. I work with an amazing team and have great mentors at MVC, where I’m also trained in acupuncture for small and large animals. My off-hour calls might include helping foal a mare or treat a sick animal in a muddy pasture, which often requires improvising, such as using a tree limb to hang IV fluids or powering X-ray equipment with a skid steer tractor.”
As a large-animal veterinarian, Haines loves the variety and adventures she encounters. “Whether it’s treating five different species in one day or getting to travel to new corners of the island, I love the animals and working with my team to make a difference. Through communication and education, I want owners to feel that they are supported in keeping their animals happy and healthy. This especially means fostering the interest of young people by encouraging them to grow their skills and knowledge.”
Dr. Haines also has advice to offer students: “There are many paths to becoming a veterinarian. STEM education (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) is obviously important for the veterinary knowledge base, although the humanities and the arts can also be valuable. In college, I found a love of anthropology, a subject that has helped me tremendously as a veterinarian serving the cultural mixing pot of Hawaiʻi, where there are experts in fiber craft, food production, sustainable land and animal husbandry, showing animals, 4-H programs, and much more.”
I like working with a variety of animals, the unexpectedness and challenges of it. The best part has been to return home to serve my community.
Dr. Christy Haines, Veterinarian, Makawao Veterinary Clinic
Born and raised on Maui, Scott Fisher, Ph.D., is the statewide Director of ʻĀina Stewardship at Hawaiʻi Land Trust (HILT) and has been serving HILT’s 19,500 acres of protected land for 22 years. In this role, he leads all aspects of the ecological restoration and land protection work conducted by the trust. Previously, he worked for HILT as a project manager at the 277-acre Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge. Now as a director, he leads the organization’s conservation programs.
“Our statewide nonprofit land trust seeks to protect, steward, and connect people to the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi,” Fisher noted. “I’ve focused many doctoral and post-doctoral studies on Hawaiʻi Land Trust’s preserves to help understand the land’s ancient history and to help solve problems for future land stewardship in the face of a warming climate and more frequent storms.”
Fisher, a United States Marine Corps veteran, also teaches a course for University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s Sustainable Science Management program. The class explores traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and strategies to help build and maintain sustainability. He also serves on the Mālama Haleakalā Foundation Board, the Pacific Birds Hawaiʻi Wetlands Conservation Priority Committee, and as chair of the Maui and Lānaʻi Islands Burial Council. In 2023, he was the recipient of the National Wetlands Awards for Local Stewardship.
Fisher explained, “Probably the easiest way to summarize the work I do at the Hawaiʻi Land Trust is found in our mission statement: to protect and steward the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi for present and future generations, fostering deep community connections to the ‘āina (land). We work statewide with eight community preserves — protected lands that we own — and encourage the community to visit, learn, volunteer, hike, camp, etc. We also protect over 22,560 acres through 55 perpetual conservation easements. Our public outreach work includes education programs for students of all ages…over 6,100 students visited our preserves in 2025. We offer free hikes on Maui at both Waiheʻe and Nuʻu sites, plus regular volunteer opportunities and camping.”
More information about HILT’s volunteering, hikes, camping, and education programs can be found online at www.hilt.org. Upcoming volunteering opportunities include ‘āina workdays on the third Saturday of the month (March 21, 2026) and on Fridays from 8am to 12 pm at HILT’s Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetland Refuge. Volunteers can sign up online at www.hilt.org/volunteer.
Our work on the land is guided by two ‘ōlelo noʻeau: i ola ka ʻāina, i ola kākou nei — when the land thrives, we all thrive; and he aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka — the land is the chief, and people are the servants.
Scott Fisher, Ph.D., Director of ʻĀina Stewardship, Hawaiʻi Land Trust
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ education program is continuing to expand its paid summer internship options this year to meet growing student demand for meaningful, on-the-job training in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. After hitting an all-time high last summer with over 120 interns across the state, STEMworks aims to accept at least 170 high school and college students this summer. The success of the program rests on STEMworks’ role as matchmaker between interns and host companies, ensuring that students enrolled in the program gain experiences that align with their interests and skills.
STEMworks offers three different options for students interested in STEM summer internships. The first is STEMworks Innovation Internships, a statewide program focused on placing students with cutting-edge STEM companies, covering fields such as cybersecurity, aerospace, manufacturing, medical research, and aquaculture. The application form is online here: https://bit.ly/STEMinno26. The deadline to apply is April 3.
For Maui County students interested in agriculture, STEMworks Agriculture Business and Technology Internships offer hands-on experience in a wide variety of agriculture-related professions, not just traditional farming. Intern program manager Britney James explained, “While the careers are based in the agriculture sector, students can apply the skills they learn to other fields. Students come away with the understanding that the agriculture sector has many different types of industries that can fulfill their career aspirations.” Students can apply online here: http://bit.ly/2026SummerAgInternships. Applications are due May 8.
New this year, STEMworks is also launching the Maui County Healthcare Student Placement program. After working with the MEDB-facilitated Maui County Healthcare Partnership, STEMworks staff decided to create a paid work-based learning and job-shadowing program specifically for students interested in healthcare careers to meet the growing need for more healthcare workers in Maui County. Students interested in healthcare job shadowing can find more information here: https://forms.gle/5ktgisJzSqGgmFNq9. The deadline to apply is April 3.
This is a valuable opportunity for students to build their resumes, explore career options, gain new skills, and grow their networks. I’ve never had any students walk away from their internship experience disappointed.
Britney James, Agriculture Program Manager, Maui Economic Development Board, STEMworks
As communities across the country observe Women’s History Month this March, it is also a time to recognize the challenges women continue to face and how the Maui Nui community is responding, carrying forward a long tradition of women supporting women. In the spring of 2016, a group of Maui-based doulas, midwives, and childbirth educators, met in the living room of one of their homes to talk about the need for a strong local network of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum professionals. This led to the first annual Labor Day Event in September 2016 and ultimately to the formation of Pacific Birth Collective (PBC), which provides crucial services to Maui families as well as professional development opportunities to its network of professionals.
Morea Mendoza, PBC’s director of leadership and operations, shared “Our board and staff are run by women. We offer many programs such as the Community Birth Project, contributing financial aid to families looking to select a birth worker of their choice, from a midwife, hospital doula, post-partum therapist, lactation specialist, etc. We also work with Medicare and the State of Hawaiʻi, trying to implement better systems so that people can have all these benefits included into their insurance as other states have.”
PBC secured a 501(c)(3) status in 2021. During the Maui wildfire crisis of August 2023, they jumped into action to support some of the most vulnerable of those affected by the fires: mothers and babies. “We knew immediately who would be left most vulnerable in the wake of such destruction,” said Mendoza. “By acting quickly to deliver supplies to these moms and families, PBC saved many lives.”
Mendoza added, “Another PBC program, Farm to Mother, is funded by the Maui County Department of Agriculture. We partner with the Maui Food Bank and various local produce farmers to provide a weekly food box program specifically designed for the nutritional needs throughout pregnancy and postpartum. We offer an online library with recipes and different types of nutritional suggestions explaining the benefits of the food. Plus, at our Haʻikū facility, we provide a wellness and education initiative including a full schedule of classes, clinics, support groups, body work, and group therapy. There are often pop-ups in Hāna, Molokai, and Lānaʻi.”
PBC reaches a wide community, and women at all stages of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum meet each other and become friends while utilizing PBC services. “It takes a village!” Mendoza concluded. “It’s amazing what you can do with community. We have a wonderful mix of women, children, and fathers. All are welcome!” For more information, visit online at https://pacificbirthcollective.org/.
Realizing there is not enough help for mothers and families, our organization has become the support that our founders needed when they were raising their children.
Morea Mendoza, Director of Leadership and Operations, Pacific Birth Collective
