Kapiāolani Community College welcomes two Executive Leadership Team members who will lead Native Hawaiian student success initiatives for the campus. We share Chancellor Misaki Takabayashiās announcement to the campus for further details on these appointments.
I am excited to share two new updates on the campus leadership team that I strongly believe will put our school in a better position to meet the needs of our students as we head into the upcoming academic year and beyond.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
I am delighted to recommend the appointment of Dr. Ellen Lokelani Kenolio to be our next Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA). Loke comes to us with rich experiences and a strong track record in student services and support as well as teaching in Hawaiāi. She has been a faculty specialist and program coordinator at UH MÄnoa; a counselor, director of student engagement and director of enrollment services and student equity and access at Windward Community College; and, most recently, interim VCSA at University of Hawaiāi West Oāahu.
Executive Director of Strategy
I am also excited to recommend the appointment of Dr. Michaelyn NÄkoa Hall as the interim Executive Director of Strategy. This position was created by re-describing the former Executive Assistant position in the chancellorŹ»s office.
Let me explain the logic behind this important new position. We stand at a critical juncture of our collegeŹ»s evolution. The Strategic Plans for our campus, the UH Community Colleges and UH System have been updated or are in the process of being updated; we have brand new leadership among the executives and Authorized Governance Organizations; we recently lost key personnel coordinating our strategic plan development and accreditation; and the Naepuni Committee concluded that our college needs to coordinate Native Hawaiian student support programs from the executive level.
This culmination of new beginnings presents opportunities to align our future directions to rapidly changing demands for student success, workforce development, and a thriving and sustainable campus. Our new and continuing campus-wide endeavors need to be strategic and require strong alignment and synergy.
That is why I created the Executive Director of Strategy position and am very pleased that Michaelyn has accepted this new role. She has been instrumental in leading Student Affairs through the recent transition as an executive, co-led the strategic plan development, and is a prominent leader in enhancing our capacity for Native Hawaiian student success. This position will be responsible for being the Accreditation Liaison Officer, campus strategic development and communication, and coordination of Native Hawaiian student support resources and services.
Pending review and approval by the Board of Regents and the president, Loke and Michaelyn are scheduled to start their appointments effective August 1, 2023. Please join me in congratulating and thanking them. Please, let’s do all we can to support them and continue to support each other so that we all succeed as a campus community.
Mahalo nui for your time and attention,
Dr. Misaki Takabayashi Chancellor
###