As local, national and international communities navigate a changing energy landscape, the 12th annual Hawaii Energy Conference brings industry leaders together to offer solutions addressing the most pressing energy challenges of today.
Featuring ten dynamic panels and one Deep Dive session over two days, the program will cover topics ranging from utility-scale renewable energy deployment to community-based initiatives, and the economics and advancements of grid independence. Discussions will also tackle energy efficiency, sustainable financing strategies, alternative energy sources, job creation, training, and more.
Complementing the main stage discussions, the new Deep Dive session provides an intimate setting for up to 40 participants to engage directly with experts and explore complex issues like time-of-use rates.
The Hawaii Energy Conference offers networking and exhibiting opportunities to connect with key stakeholders, industry experts, innovators, policymakers and more. Join us on Maui to gain insights, share ideas, and collaborate on actionable solutions to building a sustainable future for Hawaii and beyond.
We are honored to have Governor Green join us as the keynote speaker at this year’s Hawaii Energy Conference.
Jacqui Hoover, Conference Chair and Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning
As part of Maui Public Art Corps’ Hui Moʻolelo project, which cultivates stories celebrating Maui’s history and culture, University of Hawaiʻi scholar José Barzola recently spoke with Sissy Lake-Farm, Executive Director of the Maui Historical Society (MHS). The free virtual event is part of an on-going effort by MHS to emphasize the importance of understanding and honoring the past for future generations.
Located in Wailuku, Hale Hōʻikeʻike is a museum of Hawaiian history owned and operated by MHS. The museum building, the Bailey House, is part of the history on display; it was built originally as a missionary house in the early 1830s. The museum boasts the largest collection of Hawaiian artifacts on Maui and gives a detailed description of the lives of ancient Hawaiians.
Lake-Farm explained, “The house and land reverted back to the Hawaiian crown but were purchased by the Baileys in 1850. Later, the house and Baileys’ sugarcane fields became part of the Wailuku sugarcane plantation. The MHS was established in 1951 and…Masaru ‘Pundy’ Yokouchi purchased the Bailey House in 1991 and donated it to the MHS. The Bailey House was placed on the National and Hawaiʻi Registers of Historic Places in 1972.”
With extensive experience preserving the stories of the island’s people and places, Lake-Farm explored the heritage and challenges faced by the Maui community in her discussion with Barzola. Covering ancient traditions to modern-day preservation efforts, she shared unique insights into the island’s evolution and how local history is actively being preserved for our youth.
“We offer a glimpse into the past through our extensive collection of photographs, documents, and historical records,” she noted. “Our archives hold the stories and knowledge that keep our history alive, providing a valuable resource for researchers, students, and anyone with a passion for discovering the rich heritage of Hawaiʻi.”
MHS hosts cultural and educational events throughout the year, including their upcoming Lei Day Heritage Festival on May 1. For more information on events and museum hours, visit online at https://www.mauimuseum.org. To explore the Hui Moʻolelo project and listen to online recordings of community discussions, visit https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.
“We are so happy to share our rich history,” Lake-Farm added, “Our archival resource center, museum gift shop, and the Chas Fisher Memorial Gardens of native and missionary-era flora and fauna, are open to all.”
MHS is committed to preserving and sharing Maui’s history with our local community, especially students of all ages.
Sissy Lake-Farm, Executive Director, Maui Historical Society
Bryant Neal, newly elected vice-president of the nonprofit Maui Arts League, is well-known across the island for his numerous accomplishments. Arriving on Maui in 1982, he immediately fell in love with the island. He eventually became a partner and vice-president of the Lahaina Printsellers, Ltd., where he became absorbed in original vintage maps and prints of Hawaiʻi. “The history of Hawaiʻi continues to fascinate me,” Neal shared. “After leaving the gallery I continued to share my knowledge and my collection through different venues.”
Today, Neal is the founder, director, and curator of Story of Hawaiʻi, a museum exhibit and gallery. A born storyteller with a degree in theater arts, he provides a historic depiction of Hawaiʻi through his travelling exhibit, with one of the largest collections of Hawaiian nostalgia and original maps in the state. Neal is often found at the Maui Swap Meet on Saturday mornings displaying and selling his affordable map reproductions. “I tell the story of Hawaiʻi using vintage maps and documents starting from Polynesian migration through statehood,” Neal explains. “It’s the chronological sequence that makes it an interactive and memorable educational experience.”
Neal is also known locally for his annual recitation of excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the Maui County building. “It’s important,” he noted. “Plus, every year new people get to hear it.” His community service work includes the arts as well. Neal is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit, Jazz Maui. He is passionate about providing opportunities for resident and student musicians to participate in high-quality jazz music education and performances through festivals, music clinics, and dance workshops. Every Sunday, Jazz Maui partners with Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate in Lahaina for an evening concert through its Chocolate Laulima program that supports local nonprofit organizations. All the proceeds from the concert ticket sales benefit Jazz Maui’s music education programs.
Always busy, Neal is also on the Board of the South Maui Learning ‘Ohana. “The ‘Ohana was the beginning of the charter school movement in Hawaiʻi,” Neal said. “Additionally, at the Kihei Charter School there is an innovation building designed to share community events. Maui is one huge ‘ohana!”
Jazz Maui continues to fill the need for an after-school arts enrichment program. I am so grateful to all the musicians who serve as mentors for aspiring Maui youth and all those who support nonprofit organizations.
Bryant Neal, Founder and Director, Jazz Maui
For the 20th Annual Invitational Art Exhibit, “Celebration of Hawaiʻi 2025,” at Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao, painter Suzy Papanikolas highlights the life of master carver and Native Hawaiian historian Sam Kaʻai in her artwork. “Kaʻai is someone I greatly admire,” said Papanikolas. “He truly believed navigation was done and could still be done by the stars and that the Hōkūleʻa voyage would serve as a cultural revitalization of Hawaiians and other Polynesians.”
Born in Hāna and brought up in Kaupō, Kaʻai’s family grew their own food and made many items by hand using traditional Hawaiian techniques and tools. Sam Low, author of Hawaiki Rising: Hōkūleʻa, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance, explains, “Sam’s father and grandfather made canoes. Sam continued in this tradition, although as a carver of fine sculpture. He used adzes, files and drills that came down to him from his ancestors. They were fashioned a century or two ago.”
As a carver, Kaʻai became involved in the now world-renowned Hōkūleʻa project led by Herb Kāne. “In 1973, Kaʻai went to Maui Community College to listen to Herb’s talk…later, a letter arrived from Herb: ‘If you come from a canoe family, please dream and make your own design for the kiʻi,’” writes Low. “Sam carved two kiʻi — a man and a woman. The female figure would be lashed to the port manu, the male kiʻi to the starboard. When Sam carved the male figure he fashioned his hands reaching up to the heavens in supplication.”
In the years that followed, Kaʻai grew to be a highly respected Hawaiian artisan, cultural expert, and community leader. He sailed as a crew member aboard the Hōkūleʻa in 1978, 1980, and 1985 and planned the 1991 celebration of unification at Puʻukoholā Heiau, a national historic site on the Big Island. Recognized as a Living Treasure of the Hawaiian People by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 2017, Kaʻai continues his work as an historian to preserve rare Hawaiian artifacts. Tragically, many of these priceless cultural treasures and documents were lost when the Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui Cultural Center was destroyed during the 2023 Lahaina wildfire.
Papanikolas’s painting celebrates Kaʻai’s ongoing legacy, featuring the kiʻi that Kaʻai carved for the Hōkūleʻa over 50 years ago. An online gallery of her work can be found on her website, https://www.papanik.com/. The Viewpoints Gallery’s “Celebration of Hawaiʻi 2025” exhibit in Makawao, featuring over 40 artists, is open until the end of April.
My painting is a tribute to the ancestors and the revival of a whole culture, of which Kaʻai is a representative.
Suzy Papanikolas, Artist
A recent Maui TechOhana event featured Maui-based Google software architect, Stefan Kuhne, who spoke about “Finding Opportunity for Success” to over 40 attendees. Working in the computer industry since 1986, Kuhne shared his long career in tech, including the last 18 years at Google. He has given keynote presentations at events such as Google I/O with more than 10,000 viewers and has been a tech pioneer, starting his own company for fun and, as a new entrepreneur, selling over 200,000 original computer games.
Kuhne had many tips to share with the audience based on his experiences. He is currently the holder of about 20 patents, many of them worldwide, ranging from his early work in electronics and circuit boards to becoming one of the world’s experts in computer graphics with Google, where he has worked on Google Earth and Chrome OS projects.
“To be successful, you need motivation,” Kuhne noted. “The ability to identify good opportunities and make the best out of them has served me well. First, I realized early on the importance of being good in school…During the 70’s/80’s when I was still in school, computers were new and cool, so I was motivated to get my own computer and create chips.”
Kuhne continued, “The next phase for me was finding opportunities for success and learning to look for disruptions, which are…Back in 2007 when the iPhone, and, shortly after, Android, entered the market, a new opportunity segment opened. Application developers jumping in early cashed out a lot really quickly. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are huge. Big companies are investing heavily, so it’s a perfect time to jump in.”
After the meeting, Maui realtor Steve Bond commented, “Be open for change, learn from failure! Khune’s message was inspiring, encouraging me to focus on my own projects. Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is doing a fantastic job by bringing the entrepreneur community together.”
Shirley Ramey, LPN, said, “I liked the information Khune shared. Things have changed because of Chat and AI, and his experience is so helpful. I’m looking forward to future TechOhana meetings.”
Organized by MEDB and supported by the County of Maui, TechOhana is free to the public and invites guest speakers to give presentations on topics related to business or technology. For more information, visit online at http://www.mauitechohana/.
Setting ambitious goals is important; however, you also need to realize that mistakes are good if you learn from them.
Stefan Kuhne, Software Architect, Google
In March, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) honors the contributions of women and acknowledges the challenges they have overcome as part of Women’s History Month. In the recent history of Maui County, the late Councilmember Velma Santos stands out as one such woman to be honored. Born in 1931 in Kula, the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku is named after her.
With a University of Hawaiʻi degree in botany and a teaching certification, Santos began her career as a fifth grade teacher at Wailuku Elementary and received national recognition as an Outstanding Elementary Teacher in America. She went on to become a member of the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives, a role she held from 1974 to1976 before becoming the Director of the Maui County Department of Human Concerns.
For local residents, she is best remembered for her time as a Maui County Councilmember, serving from 1982 to 1990. She was chair of the Human Services Committee, helping to establish policies that improved public services. She also worked to create responsible parameters for development as chair of the Planning and Land Use Committee. Maui County Councilmember Alice Lee shared, “I served with Velma in my first term on the County Council. She was the Planning chair and very knowledgeable about Maui County on a cultural, political, and economic level. She was a parliamentarian and was very skilled at debating but was also very courteous and gracious.”
Santos was also active in non-profits and community-based organizations. She chaired the Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Board, founded the Wai Kahu Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) organization, and served in multiple state level BPW offices, including as President of the Hawaii BPW organization.
MEDB president and CEO, Leslie Wilkins, remembers Santos as a role model and generous mentor. “I met Velma through BPW. I had just entered the workforce and was invited to join the Maui chapter. I was immediately struck by Velma’s stature and dedication to advancing economic opportunities for women. Her teachings helped frame my values and continue to inspire my advocacy.”
We were fortunate to have her as one of our County’s leaders. She was a forward thinker, a pioneer.
Alice Lee, Chair of the Maui County Council
Olena Alec is the Executive Director of the Haleakalā Conservancy, the philanthropic partner to Haleakalā National Park. Alec leads the Conservancy’s efforts to provide funding for projects of critical importance to the park and its unique and endangered resources.
“Started in 2019, our nonprofit raises money for projects the park cannot fund,” Alec explained at a recent Kihei-Wailea Rotary meeting. “Conservation, preservation, and education are our main goals to help support our incredibly unique national park.”
Born and raised on Maui, Alec came to the Conservancy from The Climate Reality Project where she served as Director of Engagement. She also sits on the board of Students for Climate Action. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from University of Southern California.
“It has been my lifelong goal to be back on Maui contributing to the community and landscape that is home,” Alec said. “The Conservancy, dedicated to raising funds specifically for the park’s initiatives, goes beyond what government funding and entrance fees can provide. Haleakalā National Park faces perennial challenges: invasive species, climate change, and a lack of sufficient government funding.”
Saving Haleakalā’s forest birds such as the kiwikiu, which is on the brink of extinction, is a current concern of the park. Extra funding supports programs that buy tools for forest biologists protecting the birds. The Conservancy also works to preserve trail space to keep people safe and on the correct paths. Alec added, “The need to provide school buses, especially for the Hawaiian immersion schools, is very important. We want the students to know that this is their park, in their backyard. We hope to continue having all Maui students visit and learn from our programs. With community support, the Conservancy’s efforts will ensure Haleakalā National Park thrives.”
For members of the public looking to support the Park, there are several options, including monetary donations and purchasing a Haleakalā specialty license plate. More info can be found online at https://www.haleakalaconservancy.org/support.
As the park’s philanthropic partner, we support programs that preserve wildlife, ecosystems, history, and culture, and we appreciate the community’s support to ensure the continued success of our conservation efforts.
Olena Alec, Executive Director, Haleakalā Conservancy
As a local non-profit organization, Ka Hale A Ke Ola (KHAKO), “The House of Life,” has been breaking the cycle of homelessness on the island of Maui for over 30 years. KHAKO, dedicated to serving the needs of the homeless and disadvantaged on Maui, is a housing-focused, comprehensive resource center that provides emergency shelter, life skills training, case management, a primary-care medical clinic, and affordable housing facilities for families with children.
KHAKO’s Executive Director Sue R. Sadecki said, “In light of losing one of our two shelters in the August 8, 2023, Lahaina fire, we remain committed to working tirelessly to expand our programs and services as we continue to advocate for policies that address the root causes of homelessness in our community. Our properties consist of a homeless shelter on one side and affordable housing units on the other side. As the wildfire engulfed Lahaina town and destroyed our 78-unit shelter complex, our agency employees displayed acts of heroism by helping approximately 220 Lahaina shelter residents evacuate and move into our Wailuku site.”
As KHAKO continues to rebuild in Lahaina, they are grateful for the help offered by FEMA, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, numerous community organizations, and individuals. “Many people are not aware of the amazing services we provide,” Sadecki noted. “For example, the KHAKO case management team assists guests in finding immediate and permanent affordable housing. Childcare is provided for the benefit of the parent to seek employment and go to work. The Children’s Services Coordinator assists families with resources they may need in the community, offers events and programs that delight the keiki who live on-site, and high school volunteers visit to provide tutoring to all the school age children.”
County, state, and federal grants are helping KHAKO move forward to rebuild; however, there is still a long road ahead. Now that the debris removal is finished, they need additional funds to complete the rebuilding. “We provide essential services that need to happen in Lahaina as soon as possible,” Sadecki added. “One of my favorite quotes is by Coretta Scott King, ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.’”
KHAKO makes a difference in the community. We give people support and stability when they most need it to rebuild their lives and get back on the path to success.
Sue R. Sadecki, Executive Director, Ka Hale A Ke Ola
The World ʻUkulele Program will be holding a fundraising event at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei on Sunday, March 9th at 2pm, including the premiere of Jeff Peterson’s new film, Concerto for Slack Key Guitar and Orchestra – Malama ‘Āina. The film features the first concerto ever written for slack-key guitar, and the screening will be followed by a live concert by Peterson and Maui’s famous luthier (a builder of stringed instruments), Steve Grimes.
Recognized as one of Hawaiʻi’s most versatile musicians, Peterson is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene. Born on Maui, he grew up on the slopes of Haleakalā where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo on the Haleakalā Ranch.
“My dad worked for many years as the manager at Haleakalā Ranch,” Peterson said. “I feel fortunate having grown up in such an amazing place and lifestyle…My background, including the many group jam (kanikapila) evenings, inspired me to play music,” he shared. “I got my first ʻukulele in fifth grade along with a more formal music education. Currently, I have an online instruction program, ‘Ukulele Corner, where I share my knowledge and offer free lessons.”
Peterson’s passion for the guitar has allowed him to shine as a solo artist and has given him the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of musicians. His focus on slack-key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique style on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage. He has been honored with 14 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in Hawaiʻi and with Grammy Awards in 2005 and 2010.
Maui musician and songwriter, Steve Grimes, a world-renowned luthier, has been building guitars and ʻukulele since the mid-1970s. He is known as a master of transforming wood into extraordinary guitars, ʻukulele, acoustic basses, flat top guitars, electric guitars, and mandolins. “It’s an honor to be playing with Jeff in the upcoming concert,” Grimes said. “It’s going to be a great evening!”
Tickets are on sale online at https://proartsmaui.org/event/slack-key-guitar-and-orchestra-malama-aina-film-and-concert/.
The island’s culture and beauty helped me to understand early on the importance of respecting and maintaining our ‘āina, and it still inspires my compositions.
Jeff Peterson, Guitarist and Composer
