Welcome to Liliʻuokalani Center
Liliʻuokalani Center is a hub for culture, creativity, technology, and exploration. Here, Native Hawaiian youth ages 12-24 are connected to vital supports and a vibrant community.
Our Founder, Queen Liliʻuokalani
The kamaliʻi of Liliʻuokalani Center and Liliʻuokalani Trust are the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaiʻi. Our mōʻī wahine envisioned the pae ʻāina with thriving Hawaiian children.
Learn MoreMeet the Leadership Team
Jennifer Laʻa
Executive Director
Jennifer Laʻa
Executive Director
Jennifer Laʻa is the Executive Director of Liliʻuokalani Center and a member of the Trust’s Senior Leadership Team.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Jenn is passionate about supporting youth on their journeys to thriving. She has held several leadership roles with Liliʻuokalani Trust, including as Managing Director; Strategy, Implementation, and Operations.
Prior to joining LT, Jenn served as Branch Chief, Community Resources for the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and was CEO of Easterseals Hawaii. She holds an MA and BA in Political Science from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and a BA in English. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling the globe, and spending time with the people she loves.
Keiki Akau
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Sports
Keiki Akau
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Sports
Keiki Akua is the Director of ʻŌlino Pathways Sports at Liliʻuokalani Center. She spent much of her youth actively involved in various sports and physical activities. Before pursuing softball, she danced hula with Hālau Hula Olana and later continued dancing at Mid-Pacific Institute under Kumu Michael Casupang.
A proud graduate of Mid-Pacific, Keiki helped lead her softball team to two state championship titles during her junior and senior years and three ILH championship titles. She went on to play for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as a Rainbow Wahine, serving as team captain and competing for four years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Resource Management and Human Development.
Keiki’s passion for softball and community continues through her work as a coach and private instructor, helping to develop the next generation of athletes. For nearly a decade, she has coordinated sports programs, events, and initiatives with LT.
Mahana Akina
Director, Culinary Programs
Mahana Akina
Director, Culinary Programs
Koryn Mahana Akina, Director of Culinary Programs at the Liliʻuokalani Center, is a Hilo native who brings over 30 years of experience in the culinary arts, education, and leadership. Her career reflects a deep-rooted passion for food as a vehicle for cultural preservation, community wellness, and youth empowerment.
Her background includes teaching culinary arts within the University of Hawaiʻi Community College system, serving as Director of Nutritional Services for one of Hawaiʻi’s largest skilled nursing facilities, and working across a wide range of culinary environments from fine dining to beloved local favorites. At the heart of her work is a deep commitment to mālama ʻāina, wellness, and empowering ʻōpio through food, with the goal of nourishing both body and community with intention and aloha.
Kapena Alapai
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Arts and Culture
Kapena Alapai
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Arts and Culture
Kapena Alapai is the Director of ʻŌlino Pathways–Arts and Culture at Liliʻuokalani Center, and was born and raised in North Kona, Hawaiʻi Island, with deep roots in Puʻuanahulu and Holualoa. He comes to the Trust after taking part in a 7-year project, ArtChangeUS, working to reframe the national arts conversation by embracing the cultural assets of U.S. demographic change. This unique snapshot into the field shaped Kapena’s understanding of arts and social justice issues amidst a national funding crisis, multiple divisive presidential elections, and ongoing racial injustice.
He returned to Hawaiʻi in 2020, resolved to fulfil kuleana to ʻāina, ʻohana, and kaiāulu, and envision the next generation of artists and culture bearers. With nearly 20 years of dedication to the nonprofit arts and culture sector, He is a committed leader whose career centers on uplifting Hawaiian identity, youth education, and community through creative and cultural practice.
Mara Pavich Garcia
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Kamaliʻi Recruitment and Wellness
Mara Pavich Garcia
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Kamaliʻi Recruitment and Wellness
Mara Pavich Garcia is the Director of ʻŌlino Pathways – Kamaliʻi Recruitment and Wellness at Liliʻuokalani Center and brings over 20 years of professional experience in counseling and education, working with youth ages 5-early adulthood.
She designs and leads youth-centered initiatives that support youth in developing a strong sense of self by integrating cultural identity, social-emotional development, and holistic wellness.
Born and raised in Kaimukī on Oʻahu, Mara returned home to Hawaiʻi in 2020 after nearly two decades of residing on the West Coast, where she worked at the Spokane Crisis Residential Center, YMCA of Greater Seattle, the Evergreen School in Seattle, and Viewpoint School and Geffen Academy at UCLA. Before joining the Trust, Mara served as the Director of Wellness and Professional Programs at St. Andrew’s Schools.
Mara is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Redlands.
In her leisure time, Mara enjoys beach walks, hikes, yoga, and hosting ʻohana in her backyard. She and her partner, Javier, are raising two sons in Kailua and often can be found on the baseball field or basketball courts, cheering on their teams.
Erika Gaspar
Director, Operations
Erika Gaspar
Director, Operations
Erika Gaspar is the Director of Operations at Liliʻuokalani Center. She was raised in Waimānalo and feels honored to be able to work with the people of her community, and is inspired by those around her. Erika has trucked slowly but steadily toward a social work degree and graduated in the Fall 2015 with a BSW degree from HPU. She wishes to continue on her educational path and strive to get through her final tunnel seeking the bright shining light of an MSW degree. Erika expresses that this wouldn’t have been possible without the love of God and the support of all those in her life. Being an inspiration to her son, Hauʻoli, is Erika’s greatest aspiration.
Christopher Patrinos
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Technology
Christopher Patrinos
Director, ʻŌlino Pathways – Technology
Christopher George Kekoa Patrinos is the Director of ʻŌlino Pathways Technology at Liliʻuokalani Center.
Before joining LT, Chris served as an Assistant Professor of Theatrical Design at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; an Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Chaminade University of Honolulu; and the Theatre Technical Director at Punahou School.
Chris is an award-winning director, designer, and performer. His production management credits include national touring productions of River Dance, Stomp, Shaolin Warriors, Lion King, Slava Snow Show, and A Prairie Home Companion. His commercial and corporate production credits include the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the Climate Change Conference featuring Vice President Al Gore, Nike Corp., the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the American Geophysical Union, Asian Development Bank, and the Professional Convention Management Association.
Chris has an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Historical Studies from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
He would not be where he is today without the support of his family. When Chris is not in the theatre, he is a proud volleyball Dad and a staunch supporter of his alma mater and UH Athletics. Go Bows!
Todd Wilson
Director, Life Readiness
Todd Wilson
Director, Life Readiness
Todd Wilson is the Director of Life Readiness at Liliʻuokalani Center and has worked his entire career in education design and program management.
Most recently at the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, he advised on federal grant projects transitioning from COVID-19 restrictions to developing school and student health networks. Previously, as a consultant, Todd designed professional development systems to transition the Department of Defense Education Agency and Hawaiʻi Department of Education to the Common Core Standards, supporting agency-wide changes focused on performance data and instructional design. Before these large projects, he led youth-focused environmental programs in California and New Mexico, along with summer programs focused on wilderness, sustainability, and global dialogue. He has worked at public, independent, and charter schools and started as a writing teacher in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, a placement through Teach For America.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Grand Valley State University and his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Education from St. John’s College.
Join Our Team
Liliʻuokalani Center is a growing community of artists, educators, and doers who share a passion for creating a vibrant and supportive space for youth. Check out our open positions, including opportunities for all Liliʻuokalani Trust positions, and get in touch if youʻre interested!