Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program

About the Kaulunani Advisory Council

The Kaulunani Advisory Council acts in an advisory capacity to Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry Program and the State Forestry Program.  The Council provides recommendations, direction, and strategic guidance for an array of community forestry initiatives including reviewing grant applications, recommending the approval for community projects, and advising on educational and marketing initiatives. Kaulunani Advisory Council Guidelines

The Council participates in quarterly meetings that are open to the public; contact us if you are interested in joining one.

We are looking to fill two vacancies in the Kaulunani Advisory Council. Any individuals interested in becoming a council member must apply. Applications will be accepted until the vacancies are filled.
Kaulunani Advisory Council Application

2024 Meeting Schedule:

• February 8, 2024
• May 9, 2024
• August 8, 2024
• November 14, 2024

Previous Meeting Minutes:   

• May 2024
• February 2024
• November 2023
• August 2023
• May 2023
• February 2023
• November 2022
• August 2022
• May 2022
• February 2022
• November 2021
• August 2021

Current Kaulunani Advisory Council Members

The Kaulunani Advisory Council is composed of a diverse group of professionals representing a range of sectors and experience across Hawaiʻi. Applications for new Members are accepted on a rolling basis.

Jennifer Maydan

Board Chair since 2023

Board Member since 2019

Jen Maydan joined the Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation as a planner in August 2022 with a passion to plan for sustainable, resilient, and equitable parks, with more trees! Formerly she was a planner in the Department of Planning Long Range Division. She has over 16 years of experience in community planning in Maui County, working on projects including the Maui Island Plan, Lānaʻi Community Plan, Molokaʻi Community Plan, West Maui Community Plan, and South Maui Community Plan. She holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado at Denver and is a certified member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Jen lives in Haʻikū with her husband and son. She enjoys surfing, hiking, and gardening and is thankful to be able to raise her son on Maui where she was born and raised.

Kialoa Mossman

Board Vice-Chair since 2022

Board Member since 2019

Kialoa Mossman is a graduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Kialoa currently works part time as researcher for the Edith Kanakaole Foundation, a Hawaiian cultural-based non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to elevate Hawaiian intelligence through cultural education founded on the teachings and traditional practices of Edith and Luka Kanakaʻole, and works full time for G70, a diverse family of entrepreneurial and highly creative individuals who endeavor to create exceptional value for our clients and communities by aligning with our client’s dreams and projecting them with farsighted vision.  Kialoa joined the council because he recognizes the importance of our urban environments but believes, the built environment must work in tandem with the natural environment, specifically the indigenous and endemic species of our Hawaiʻi landscapes. He believes that it is not our job as kanaka to adapt the world to fit our needs, but rather to adapt ourselves to fit in the environments we live in today.

Kialoa’s favorite tree is the ʻŌhiʻa for so many reasons, but mainly because of its ability to create entire forests as a plant that collects and stores water, and as a main native canopy plant in Hawaiʻi. 

Dave Smith

Forestry & Wildlife Board Member since 1992

David Smith is the Forestry and Wildlife Administrator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife, a position he has held since 2015. He was born and raised on the windward side of Oʻahu, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1982 and began working as an ecologist, with contract positions at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has been with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife since 1988, working as a wildlife biologist, forester, natural area reserves manager, wildlife manager, and forestry and wildlife branch manager. He is also a journeyman carpenter, and a certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. David has hands-on experience managing forest ecosystems, wetland and seabird sanctuaries, and public hunting areas, and is experienced in forest ecology and integrated resource management. He spends his spare time paddling outrigger canoes, climbing trees, and working on his house. His favorite tree is milo (Thespesia populnea) for its coastal riparian habitat, medium-sized growth form, deep green foliage, relaxing shade-tree characteristics, and rich red/brown wood.

Miranda Hutten

Board Member since 2023

Since 2015, Miranda Hutten has led the Urban and Community Forest Program for the Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) of the Forest Service. Her program area in Region 5 covers California, Hawaiʻi, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, and Palau). Her goal is to further partnerships with states, cities, communities, and nonprofit organizations to increase awareness of the importance of trees in sustaining healthy and resilient communities. Miranda is a graduate of the School of Environmental and Public Affairs at Indiana University with master’s degrees in both natural resources management and applied ecology. She was appointed as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in the Forest Service as well as served in natural resource management roles at various government levels and non-profits. In her spare time, Miranda enjoys wilderness camping across the region and attempting to develop a green thumb in her backyard.

Alex Puanani Connelly

Board Member since 2013

Alex Puanani Connelly is from Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. She serves as the E Alu Pū network coordinator for Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, a local non-profit that works to empower Hawaiʻi communities to improve quality of life through caring for our biocultural heritage. The E Alu Pū network is an intergenerational learning network of community projects, families, groups, and organizations involved in stewardship of our island resources mauka to makai. Alex joined the Council in 2013 because she believes urban forestry informs our sense of place and sees it as a way for people to connect with our native trees, their uses and manifestations in our daily lives. Alex has many favorite trees but wants to highlight the endemic and undervalued lonomea (Sapindus Oʻahuensis)a serious street and shade tree contender! Alex is a mother of two and dances with Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima.

Terri Koike

Board Member since 2016

Terri Koike was born and raised in Honolulu. She has been with the City and County of Honolulu since 1993 and the Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) since 2000. She received a BBA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa with a major in Accounting and is a former CPA. Although her background is in accounting, after becoming more involved in operations to learn about urban forestry, she became an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist in 2003, has the ISA Municipal Specialist and ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification credentials, and is the lead ISA Exam Proctor for Hawaiʻi. Terri is a member of ISA, the Western Chapter ISA, and the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). She is also an SMA Municipal Forestry (urban forestry leadership and managerial) Institute graduate.

Terri is excited to be part of establishing a new Community Forestry Section in DUF, and to work with the Council for the betterment of our communities.

Danielle Frohlich

Board Member since 2019

Danielle Frohlich has over 18 years of experience in the fields of invasion biology, plant taxonomy, ecology, and public outreach. She has extensive experience identifying plant species from tropical regions of the world. Danielle has assisted policy makers, federal and state agencies, landowners, and management organizations throughout Hawaiʻi and internationally in horizon scanning for potential invasive species, policy development, and invasive species control.She worked for Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee and Bishop Museum’s Herbarium Pacificum as the Project Coordinator for the Oʻahu Early Detection program for 9 years and is now the Lead Botanist and Invasive Species Program Specialist at SWCA Environmental Consultants, where she serves as the lead technical expert for a 10-year invasive species management plan with the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation. Her favorite tree is mangosteen, because it has beautiful foliage and delicious fruit.

Noa Lincoln

Board Member since 2019

Noa Lincoln hails from Keʻei, Hawai’i Island and is of Native Hawaiian descent. His current position is with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a specialty in Indigenous Crops and Cropping Systems. He received his BS from Yale University in Environmental Engineering and his PhD from Stanford University in Interdisciplinary Resource Management. He works extensively with traditional and holistic agriculture and community-based food systems. He is president and founder of the Mala Kaluulu Cooperative, a board member of Ulu Mau Puanui and the Kona Producers Cooperative, and serves in an advisory capacity to several agricultural production organizations. Dr. Lincoln joined the Kaulunani Council to further contribute to the environmental, social, and cultural well-being of Hawai’i. Currently, his favorite tree is ‘ulu, which forms a central part of traditional Hawaiian agroforestry.

Desireé Page

Board Member since 2019

Desireé Page is a Certified Arborist working in Oʻahu’s urban forests since 2010. Before relocating from her home state of Illinois, she achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Science/ Urban Forest Management at Western Illinois University in 2008, and became an ISA Certified Arborist in 2009. Desireé took her first job in arboriculture in 1998 as a groundman, dragging brush for a small company, and has held a position in the industry ever since. She started climbing trees in 2006. Shortly after moving to Honolulu she began working with the Tree Care Division of a family owned landscape company in 2011. After 7 years of employment, she parted with her role as Operations Manager to accept the position of System Arborist with Hawaiian Electric. Desireé has been serving on the board of the Aloha Arborist Association since April of 2016 and will begin serving her second year as President in April, 2019.

Kris Kokame

Board Member since 2021

Kris Kokame works in the renewable energy sector as a community engagement associate at AES Hawai’i. Her background is in nonprofits, philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. After graduating from Occidental College, Kris earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Hawai’i Shidler College of Business. Kris is especially passionate about environmental and conservation causes and planting native trees. She has served as the social media manager for the local nonprofit Mālama Maunalua for over seven years. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with nonprofits supporting beach clean-ups, invasive species removal, & native ecosystem restoration and hiking with her dog.

Kris’ favorite tree is the ʻōhiʻa because of its resiliency on new lava flows, its beautiful red blossoms, & its importance for our native bird species.

Matthew Bauer

Board Member since 2022

Matthew Bauer is a lifelong Windward Oahu resident who gained an appreciation for the outdoors and Hawaii’s Natural Environment through exploring the Ko’olau Mountains as a teenager. After graduating from the University of Washington, Matthew joined a small natural resource and ecosystem restoration company, called Pono Pacific and put his passion for the environment into a career helping to protect Hawaii’s watersheds and oceans. In 2007, Matthew, John Leong, and Julianna Rapu Leong co-founded Kupu, a nonprofit whose purpose is to provide Hawaii’s young people the opportunity to engage in the natural resource, conservation, and sustainability fields. Matthew serves as Kupu’s Chief Operating Officer, which over the last ten years has created more than 5,000 youth internships and provided over $153,000,000 in economic benefit to Hawaii. Matthew is an alum of Pacific Century Fellows and is Vice Chair of the Corps Network’s Corps Council, a national advocacy group for conservation and youth service corps nationwide. Matthew’s favorite tree is Diospyros Hillebrandii (Lama). 

Matthew Loudermilk

Board Member since 2022

Matt is an architectural and urban designer with a focus on mitigating current and anticipated urban community climate change impacts and has been employed with AHL since moving to Honolulu in 2019. Matt is also an avid hiker, artist, and urban gardener — all of which, combined with his rural Midwest upbringing, shape the way he relates to the urban and natural environment. Born and raised in rural Indiana, Matt completed his undergraduate degree at Ball State University majoring in architecture with a minor in sustainability in 2016. He later attended the University of Oregon at Portland, a satellite UO campus located in downtown Portland with a focus on urban design, where he earned his masters in architecture in 2019 and specialized in climate resilient community strategies and design. He then moved to Honolulu later that year for employment and to join existing efforts of building local resilience. Overall, Matt believes the urban and natural are two parts of one whole, and he believes in looking to the past and to the community to guide how our environments grow into an unprecedented future.  The Banyan tree is one of his favorite trees, finding inspiration in how their aerial roots empower them to embrace change, existing simultaneously as both permanently rooted and temporarily situated. 

Jesse Mikasobe-Kealiinohomoku

Board Member since 2022

Jesse is a recent graduate at the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu, a double major in Sustainable Community Food Systems and Political Science. As a student leader, Jesse led the Aloha ʻĀina Service Club in creating a culture of civically engaged members, generating positive social change, and encouraging a lifelong dedication to ʻāina through the movement of Niunow. Jesse’s favorite tree is the Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis). Such trees resemble the well-being of what it means to be indigenous/Hawaiian in the todays time. Its ability to drop its leaves to conserve water. Intricately adapted to the changing environments.

Kevin Sullivan

Board Member since 2022

Kevin Sullivan has been with the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department’s Long Range Division since 2017. A native Floridian, he received his Bachelors in Environmental Science and Biology from Stetson University in 2002 and his Masters in Public Administration from FGCU in 2012 with a concentration in Public Leadership & Management. Kevin has been a certified Arborist since 2004 and an AICP certified planner since 2012. He has robust, multi-sector comparative planning experience in small-town, regional and county level organizations and has worked on a wide range of projects from landscape-scale green infrastructure to tree ordinances. His passions include geospatial problem solving, growth management strategies, environmental, coastal and comprehensive planning.

Kevin lives in Waiākea Ahupuaʻa (Hilo) where he does his bit part to ‘fatten the land’; slowly turning his small suburban lawn into a reliant food system he shares with his family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Still malihini, he is eternally grateful to the Hawaiian culture that helps him deepen his roots into the knowledge of Nature. His favorite tree is the oak, because it was most venerated by his ancestors and he ate acorns as a child.

Kaulunani Advisory Council Poem

(Download PDF of Kaulunani Council Poem)