Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 1, 1 January 2015 — First-time trustee Lei Ahu Isa brings legislative, education board experience to OHA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

First-time trustee Lei Ahu Isa brings legislative, education board experience to OHA

By Garett Kamemoto For Trustee Leina'ala Ahu Isa it's all about relationships. Ahu Isa is the newest trustee at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, elected by voters to a four-year term to an at-large seat. She was encouraged to run for office by her mentor, the late state Sen. T.C. Yim, who she says told her, "with my experiences and with my mana'o that I ean bring to the

table to help the Hawaiian people, I should run for OHA." This is the first time she has run for office without her mentor, who died earlier this year. She placed her name on the ballot, though she didn't do mueh eampaigning. In the general eleehon, she was the third-highest vote getter in the race for three at-large seats and was elected to the seat vacated by Trustee Oswald Stender, who decided not to run for re-election. Ahu Isa previously served eight years in the state House of Representatives, and served as an elected member of the state Board of Education, stepping down after voters approved a constitutional amendment that gave the governor the

authority to appoint board members. She is a principal broker at the Hihon Grand Vacations Manage-

ment and has taught at Hawai'i Paeihe University. She said she fosters good relationships with a broad range of people. "I don't fight with anybody," Ahu Isa said. "That's why people remember me. I don't have to campaign. They just remember that when I say I'm going to do (something), I do. I'm not the kind that talks and doesn't do, because nobody is going to vote for you." It's a lesson she passes on in her classes. "I tell my students, be niee to everybody because you never know when they are going to be your boss. That's my philosophy." She continues to maintain her ties in the state Legislature and believes her experience - as a lawmaker responsible for allocating money, and a BOE member who had to request funds from the Legislature - will be valuable at OHA. "As Hawaiians, we always enter negotiations with the spirit of eooperation because that is how I was raised by my Hawaiian grandma. We don't yell and scream. We go in and say this is what we bring of value . . . and then they reciprocate. "We wrestle with bringing value to the table." But Ahu Isa also believes OHA needs to look beyond government for money to support the Hawaiian people. As a broker at the Hilton, she sees

how the host culture brings value to the visitor experience. "If we don't have a culture in Hawai'i, the tourists won't eome."

She believes OHA should find a way to get money for use of the host culture frommajor corporations that use it to earn a profit. "OHA ean look into a royalty or fee paid every time a Hawaiian word is used to

create somebody's condominium." She notes the city and state already require impact fees from major developers for the impact projects have on infrastructure and the puhlie. She thinks corporations could pay a share for their use of the Hawaiian culture. And she thinks mueh like a university, OHA should start a nonprofit that ean collect donations to benefit less fortunate Hawaiians. "I'm sure Uawaiians all over the wor1d wonlH

donate for the betterment of the Hawaiian people," Ahu Isa said. All of her ideas would require considerable buy-in from fellow trustees, legislators and the puhlie. Ahu Isa said she's prepared to use her relationships to enhanee the future of Native Hawaiians. ■

I tell my students, be niee to everybody because you never know when they are going to be your boss. That s my philosophy." — Leina'alaAhu Isa , Trustee

Trustee Lei Ahu lsa. - Courtesy photo