Ulu Lahui Foundation

Growing the Nation

Our Mission
To promote and support the socio-economic advancement of the Native Hawaiian community in the Hawaiian Islands and abroad through educational programming, workforce development, and sustainability initiatives.
Our Vision
The vision of Ulu Lahui Foundation (ULF) is to provide IT/STEM educational programs and support for schools, teachers, community centers and other non-profit organizations in the state of Hawaii. Our target demographic is the underserved, economically and socially disadvantaged Native Hawaiian communities with a focus on developing and supporting early IT/STEM education. While this is our target population, we would welcome and provide support to all children, teachers and communities in an effort to increase awareness and accessibility to the IT/STEM fields.
Our Leadership Team
Chairman of the Board

Sherry (Hali'a) Hester

Hali’a is the co-founder of two Hawai’i-based IT companies. As the COO of Ulu HI-Tech and board manager of Ulu Malu Systems, Hali’a is particularly focused on investing in local talent and creating high-value job opportunities.

Secretary of the Board of Directors

Mahealani Austin

Mahea has a decade of experience serving the Papakolea, Kewalo, and Kalawahine Hawaiian Homesteads through Kula No Na Po‘e Hawai’i, where she is currently a program coordinator for the Kūpuna Community Care Network.

Treasurer of the Board of Directors

Jonathan Marstaller

Jonathan is the president of Poukihi, a financial services firm, and vice president of finance at Pono Pacific. His oversight of ULF helps ensure we remain financially transparent and sound.

Advisor

Dr. Josiah Hester

Josiah is an Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working in sustainable computing, community driven educational technology, and health technologies. He identifies and executes strategic research projects.


ULF is currently working with PLACES (Place-based Learning and Culturally Engaged STEM). Provided in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, the PLACES curricula are designed to equip students with critical technical knowledge by grounding Computer Science (CS) education in student experiences, local context, and Kānaka Maoli knowledge systems. We invite you to join us in shaping inclusive and equitable STEM education for our keiki.


Your contributions will:

  • Enable us to develop and deliver culturally responsive CS curricula to underserved communities
  • Provide professional development for teachers to incorporate place-based culturally relevant methodologies
  • Fund materials and tools to engage in impactful, ʻāina-based projects that benefit the community
  • Help us build a scalable framework that can be adapted to other indigenous and underrepresented cultures worldwide
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