KCSC PAlS

Kari Inda is a Forensic Biologist and is currently an instructor with Chaminade University of Honolulu. She is originally from Kapa`a, Kaua`i but has gained most of her forensic experience on the mainland with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Over the course of 18 years, she processed major crime scenes, worked in the DNA unit, and served as a Supervising Criminalist for the DNA and Narcotics units. Just last year, she returned to Hawai`i to work for Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and was part of the massive team to help identify missing soldiers from WWII, Vietnam War, and the Korean War; she is now enjoying teaching and sharing her experiences with students of Chaminade.Kari lives in Mililani with her husband Justin and three kids.

Mark Kimura is a Sr. Scientist at Oceanit Laboratories in Honolulu, mainly working on applied artificial intelligence and computer vision. Mark is originally from Japan, where he completed his bachelor’s and 1st masters in Mechanical Engineering. His 2nd masters and Ph.D. are in Economic Geography from Cornell University. Mark currently works as an engineer and he has worked in various industries such as retail consulting in Oklahoma, international trading, internet startup, advertising, marketing research, aviation, and postdoc research building computer simulation models with/for a physicist, marine biologists, and evolution biologists at UH Hilo.Mark is so also known for his FB page, Lower Puna Infographics by Dr. Mark Kimura and he has worked with Mayor’s office, Hawaii County’s Civil Defense, and The U.S. Dept. of Interior.

Kirstin Punu leads AES Clean Energy’s (AES CE) community engagement & strategic partnership efforts across Hawaii. AES CE is proudly helping Hawai‘i achieve its 100 percent renewable energy future while partnering with the state and communities to accelerate access to safe, efficient and affordable energy. Ms. Punu graduated from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design with a Master in Urban Planning degree and a concentration in real estate finance and development. She also earned a Bachelor degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. Kirstin was born on Oahu and grew up in Haiku, Maui and graduated from Maui High School. She is passionate about furthering a responsible and sustainable future for generations to come. She sits on The Trust for Public Land Hawaii Advisory Board, is a Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) executive board member and received certification from the American Planning Association (APA) American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Helen Raine, Hawaii Conservation Coordinator, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, loves wetlands and her job involves getting the right people in the right place to make wetland conservation happen. That sometimes means lots of zoom meetings; other times she gets to go some of the wilder places in Hawai’i to visit wetland sites, count birds and talk about how to keep the water flowing and the birds coming

Helen has been involved in conservation work for twenty years. She has done fieldwork in England, Malta, Peru, Zambia and Hawaiʻi, often living for months in a tent. After completing an MSc in Conservation at University College London, Helen worked as a Conservation Officer for Natural England UK, focusing mainly on coastal and wetland protected areas. She then took on the role of Project Manager for the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project with BirdLife Malta. That work ultimately led to the designation of Malta’s first Marine Protected Area for birds.  Helen is now permanently based in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi (it’s hard to leave once you get there) where she has collaborated with the Kauaʻi Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan, the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, and other collaborative conservation initiatives. She likes to combine her conservation experience with her love of writing, and has published a series of wildlife guidebooks as well as numerous magazine and newspaper articles.  

Rich Uhl is an experienced technology executive passionate about building—teams, and solutions. The recent Kauai transplant has worked in IT, information systems design and consulting for more than two decades, starting with setting businesses up with dial-up internet service through working with some of the world’s largest tech companies. He was interested in a career in technology from a young age and sold his first software package at age 14!
Rich is the Founder and CTO of 1Strategy, Amazon Web Services (AWS) experts and implementation partners. Founded in July of 2015, Rich grew 1Strategy to become an AWS Premier Partner (only 75 partners among 100,000+). In October of 2019, Rich sold 1Strategy to TEKsystems Global Services, a global IT services company. 

Aaron Swink is an aquatic biologist and educator with the Hawaii State Department of Land & Natural Resources, Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources. His primary area of work is outreach to the community through fishing education, aquatic science programs, and direct engagement with the fishing community of Kauai. He also conducts monitoring projects and scientific investigations into the marine and freshwater aquatic ecosystems of Kauai.

Isabel is a Nicaraguan-Spanish marine biologist. Since 2015, she has dedicated herself to specialize and acquire cutting-edge techniques for conservation and restoration of coral reefs. Her journey has brought her to many countries, including Australia where she is currently pursuing her PhD in The Future Reefs Group at The University of Technology Sydney. She truly believes in multidisciplinarity and the power of collaboration for finding solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about Isabel’s career path and her current work. (@nunezlendo)

Dr. Andre Raine is the science director at Archipelago Research and Conservation (ARC). he is an expert on seabirds and has carried out research and conservation work for Hawaii's three endangered seabirds, as well as consulting on seabird projects around the world.

 Samin likes working AI-human design problems. In 2018 he won Microsoft’s Global Innovation Competition as a co-founder for a product called smartARM, a fully functional 3D printed robotic prosthetic arm that leverages computer vision to detect objects and autonomously apply the appropriate grasp. Now, he and his team are working on Autumn, a platform that measures and predicts mental health by analyzing digital behavior.

Patricia is a Mental Health Speaker, Suicide Prevention Educator, and Founder of the Hawai’i-based company, Patricia Wistinghausen Consulting LLC. Her mission is to Destigmatize the Act of Being Yourself by sharing her personal experiences and struggles with mental health and encouraging others to do the same. By talking openly about suicide, we help reduce the stigma surrounding it and are better able to share resources and connect people to support. Patricia's community advocacy within her home island of Kaua'i spans over a decade as a volunteer, community organizer, coordinator, and board member for various Hawai'i organizations, representing at the local, state, and national level. Go to: TrishWisty.com to connect and collaborate with Patricia!

  Beth Tokioka is Communications Manager for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. She previously spent 20 years working for the County of Kauai, in various communications and economic development roles, and was the Community Outreach Manager for Syngenta Hawaii, LLC. Tokioka was named the Minority Business Champion of the Year for Kauai in 2010 by the U.S. Small Business Administration for her work in creating the Kauai Made branding program. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and the Kauai United Way, is an advisory board member for the Hawaii Foodbank – Kauai Branch, and is an appointed member of the County of Kauai’s Civil Service Commission. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. 

Michelle Kortenaar is Executive Director at the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY. The Sciencenter is a hands-on museum that welcomes 100,000 guests annually. Our mission is to cultivate a broad community of curious, confident, critical thinkers. Our vision is a world where people explore, connect, and create through science. Michelle Kortenaar has been at the Sciencenter since 2010, serving as Director of Education, Senior Director of Engagement and Learning, and most recently as Vice President of Strategic Development. Michelle’s career has focused on providing children with opportunities to explore science through open-ended experiences and discovery. Michelle has degrees in both science and education. Michelle’s career began as a physics and biology teacher in Toronto, Canada and in New Jersey. She served as chair of the math and science departments at her last school. Michelle was recruited as the founding director of a multi-department science center at a large summer camp in Milford, PA. Michelle has led the Sciencenter’s work on a number of federal grants – including the Collaborative for Early Science Learning. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grant – that creates opportunities for the Sciencenter to partner with Cornell University to engage public audiences in current NSF-funded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) research. Michelle serves on the extended leadership team of the National Informal STEM Education Network. She spearheaded the Sciencenter’s partnership with many local institutions including Tompkins County Head Start. She has published in the field and often speaks at national conferences about informal science education and national partnerships.

Richard O'Reilly: I am retired from mechanical engineering with a life time back ground in plastic injection mold making as well as injection mold design and product design.

I spent the last 13 years of my career with Northrop Grumman working on research and development of large optics made with silicon carbide where I was able to use my mold making and design skills.

My wife Dorothy and I were born and raised in Massachusetts and have moved to beautiful Kauai to enjoy our retirement.

As a member of the Kauai Makerspace organization I am able to pursue and share some of my passions which include cad design and modeling which enables me to do my own 3D printing.