{"id":231682,"date":"2026-04-02T08:32:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=231682"},"modified":"2026-04-02T08:47:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:47:25","slug":"uh-leader-selected-for-role-at-ks-kaplama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/uh-leader-selected-for-role-at-ks-kaplama\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> leader selected for role at KS<\/abbr> Kapālama"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Lipe
Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu<\/span> Punihei Lipe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kaiwipunikauikaw\u0113kiu Punihei Lipe, who directs the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Papa o ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office<\/a>, is stepping into a new role. A prominent leader in advancing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-grounded initiatives across the 10-campus system for more than two decades, Lipe has been selected as the new poʻo<\/span> kula (head of school) at Ke Kula ʻo<\/span> Kamehameha ma Kapālama<\/span> (Kamehameha Schools Kapālama<\/span>), where she will support and serve students and educators across the K\u201312 campus.<\/p>\n

Her UH<\/abbr> service spans key leadership roles having also served as director of the Institute for Hawaiian Language Research and Translation<\/a>, and director of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“UH<\/abbr> has always held a special place in my life,” said Lipe, a graduate of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and Kamehameha Schools. “This community raised me, and it has been the greatest honor of my professional life to work alongside all of you. UH<\/abbr> nurtured my growth and strengthened my commitment to ʻike<\/span> kūpuna<\/span> (ancestral knowledge), to ʻāina<\/span> (land), and to the relationships that guide our work. In many ways, Kamehameha Schools also shaped my early journey, and at this moment, it is deeply meaningful to return and step into this leadership kuleana (responsibility).”<\/p>\n

Related UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:<\/p>\n