{"id":235213,"date":"2026-05-29T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=235213"},"modified":"2026-06-04T22:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:34:12","slug":"goodyear-kaopua-head-uh-native-hawaiian-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/29\/goodyear-kaopua-head-uh-native-hawaiian-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua to head UH<\/abbr> Native Hawaiian initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Noelani
Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> (Photo by: Shang Ong of Shang HI Media)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

(Editor’s note:<\/strong> This story was updated on June 4, 2026)<\/p>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> President Wendy Hensel recommended Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> be appointed as the interim director of the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Papa O Ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office for the UH<\/abbr> System and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> was approved by the UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents on Thursday, June 4, and her official start date is June 22. She succeeds Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu<\/span> Punihei Lipe, who stepped down at the end of May to become the poʻo<\/span> kula (head of school) at Kamehameha Schools Kap\u0101lama.<\/p>\n

A UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa professor since 2007, Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> brings more than two decades of academic, governance and community-based education experience to the position. In her new role, she will help guide the 10-campus system’s efforts to advance as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning that champions the principles of aloha and caring for people and place, as it integrates Hawaiian language, culture, history and values across the institution.<\/p>\n

“Noelani\u2019s exceptional leadership and deep commitment to uplifting Hawaiian knowledge make her the perfect person to carry this vital work forward,” said Hensel. “As we bid a fond aloha to Punihei and thank her for the lasting impact she made centering \u02bbike Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian knowledge) across our campuses, we are thrilled to welcome Noelani to guide our university system in its ongoing commitment to becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.”<\/p>\n

Award winning educator, author<\/h2>\n

An internationally recognized scholar and the 2022 Native Hawaiian Education Association\u2019s Educator of the Year, Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> has been instrumental in building the university’s Indigenous politics program, co-founded the Nā<\/span> Koʻokoʻo<\/span> Native Hawaiian Undergraduate Leadership Program and previously served as chair of the Department of Political Science and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa interim assistant vice provost for faculty excellence.<\/p>\n

“As we mark 40 years since the Kaʻū<\/span> Task Force report called on this university to become truly of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, I am honored to walk a path cleared by kūpuna<\/span> whose vision was bold,” Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> said. “I carry that genealogy forward with gratitude for all Punihei and her team have cultivated, and I look forward to supporting the work that educators across the 10 campuses are doing to expand the university’s capacity to uphold its kuleana to this ʻāina<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

Goodyear-Kaʻōpua<\/span> earned her bachelor’s degree from UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> and her PhD<\/abbr> from the University of California, Santa Cruz, She is a Kamehameha Schools alumna and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. She also co-founded Hālau<\/span> Kū<\/span> Māna<\/span> Public Charter School and was awarded the UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching in 2019. She is also an award-winning author, having co-won the 2019 Ka Palapala Poʻokela<\/span> award for editing Nā<\/span> Wāhine<\/span> Koa: Hawaiian Women for Sovereignty and Demilitarization.<\/p>\n

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