About the Wai’alae School Foundation
The purpose of the Foundation is to raise and manage money in order to support and advance long-term educational innovation and programs at Wai’alae School. The volunteer board is comprised of 9 members who work closely with school leadership as well as the governing board to allocate funds to serve the needs of students and faculty.
Trung Lam, president
Trung is the father of three young boys, two of which are currently at Wai’alae School. Trung holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of California at Davis, as well as an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. He has 16 years of experience in the food industry and is currently working as a consultant for INNOVATE Hawaii.
Board Members
Lee higa-okAmoto, vice president
Lee Higa-Okamoto is the director of Graduate Career Services for the University of Hawaii’s Shidler College of Business. Her relationship with Wai’alae School began more than 10 years ago when she started dating a teacher at the School. He then became her husband, as well as Wai’alae School’s dean of students, before moving on to work with other educational institutions. Lee received her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on environmental education and master’s degree in human resources management, both from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
“Wai’alae School has been an important part of our family’s history, and I am looking forward to directly serving and working with the School community.”
Kenny Lee, Treasurer
Kenny Lee has lived in Kaimukī for more than 15 years and considers it the best neighborhood in Honolulu. When he’s not dining at the fine restaurants on Wai’alae Avenue or borrowing a book at Kaimukī Library, he can be found working at Hawaiian Airlines. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Science in finance from Hawai’i Pacific University and earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Hawai’i’s Shidler College of Business.
“I’m so grateful to live in the Kaimukī area and am looking forward to contributing to its continued success by supporting Wai’alae School.”
LORI KOHARA, BOARD MEMBER
Lori is a seasoned HR executive turned entrepreneur with 20 years' experience in building high-performing teams and transforming culture. She’s worked in a variety of industries from high tech to health care to banking to education and is consistently passionate about making people and companies healthier. Lori is co-owner of In10, a boutique human resource consulting firm that handles search and organizational development consulting. Lori holds a BA in American Studies from Stanford University and a Master of Human Resource Management from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is mom to two little ones, one of which calls Wai’alae School home. Lori is looking forward to serving on the Wai’alae School Foundation Board and contributing to the local community.
Sabrina mau, board member
Sabrina Mau is a fundraising professional with experience working within higher education, K-12 schools and smaller, local non-profits. Currently, she manages the annual giving program at Maryknoll School, Hawaii’s largest Catholic co-educational K-12 school. Sabrina is responsible for the cultivation and stewardship of school constituents to create a culture of philanthropy and maintain a healthy giving program to support all students of the school.
Sabrina holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from the University of San Diego. Sabrina and her husband, Steve, have two daughters, Camilla and Sophia.
Keone nakoa, board member
Keone Nakoa is the current Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). In this position, he serves as the primary liaison between OHA and the federal government as OHA advocates for the betterment of the Native Hawaiian community. Keone’s prior experience includes serving as a staff assistant, legislative correspondent and speechwriter for the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, and working as a summer law school intern at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before returning to D.C. to take on this new role, Keone practiced law in Honolulu specializing in complex commercial litigation and general corporate governance, including nonprofits.
Keone earned his J.D. and master’s in business administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and an AB in biological anthropology from Harvard University.
Shannon nishio, board member
Shannon Nishio is a financial advisor with Edward Jones currently serving the Kaimuki area at the branch office on 12th Avenue where she works with individuals, businesses, and non-profits towards their investment and financial goals. She graduated from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, concentrating in Finance and Marketing. After starting her career in finance Seattle, WA she moved home where now she and her husband enjoy living, working, and supporting their community in Kaimuki. She currently is an associate member of the Hawaii Estate Planning Council, and serves the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai’i and the Wai’alae School Foundation.
Erica Yamauchi, board member
Erica is “mama” to two children at Wai’alae School. She is the social impact marketing director for Data to Wisdom, a federal children's mental health grant within the Hawai’i Dept. of Health’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division. Erica is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, where she teaches classes in public relations in the School of Communications.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication with a concentration in Asian studies, and a master’s degree in mass communication as a Park Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Erica is the president of the board of directors for Hawai’i Children’s Action Network and is active in PRSA Hawai’i and the Junior League of Honolulu.
kyle yoneshige, board member
Kyle Yoneshige is a Senior Vice President in Wealth Management at UBS Financial Services in Honolulu. He was born and raised in Honolulu and is a graduate of Iolani School. He attended the University of Southern California where he obtained his bachelor and master’s degrees in accounting. He started his career in the Los Angeles office of Deloitte & Touche where he serviced banks, real estate companies, non-profits, and asset managers in the firm's external audit practice. After earning his CPA license, he was an investment banking analyst at Financial Technology Partners in San Francisco handling corporate mergers and acquisitions and IPO consulting. Kyle currently serves on the boards of the Kapahulu Community Center, the Hawaii Estate Planning Council, and the Wai’alae School Foundation.