Board of Directors
Hualalai Academy's Board of Directors consists of parents, educators, business professionals, and community leaders. They are a committed, reflective, and passionate group of leaders with a clear understanding of their roles, commitments, and responsibilities. As a governing body, the Board effectively carries out its responsibilities in setting policy, fiscal oversight, fund raising, assistance and support of the school Head, and Board development.
Kathleen Kiss Damon, President
Profile
Kathleen Kiss Damon has forty years of experience in education; she recently retired as the Director of the University of Hawaii Center, West Hawaii where she served since 1998. In the University of Hawaii system, she spent seventeen years as a Dean of Student Services, first at Leeward Community College and then Honolulu Community College. Previous to that she was a tenured professor in English at Windward Community College. Other educational positions held were at public and private high schools in Hawaii and on the mainland as well as Heidelberg College and the University of Iowa. She has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master's degree in American Literature from the University of Iowa, and a Doctorate from University of Southern California. She is a past board member and officer of both the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce and Na Leo 0' Hawaii, public access television. She currently serves on the advisory committee for the UH Sea Grant project and is a member of the Kona Branch of AAUW. She joined the board for Hualalai Academy in spring 2007.
Larry Hull, Vice-President
Profile
Larry is a Vice-President of Clark Realty Corporation and Broker-in-Charge of the Kailua-Kona office. He has been associated with Clark Realty since 1990. Larry has both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Biology, the later earned in 1970 at the University of Oregon. Before moving from California to Hawaii in 1988, he was a biology teacher and administrator in the Palo Alto School District for twenty five years. After working as a Faculty Associate at Stanford University in 1972-73, a position which included curriculum development and teaching in science education, Larry also worked as an instructor and advisor for science interns at Stanford's School of Education for over twelve years. Other teaching positions include two years as an instructor of Biology and Nutrition at the University of Hawaii-West Hawaii. On several occasions in recent years, Larry has also participated as a judge in the Hualalai Academy Science Fair.
Karen Au, Secretary
Profile
Karen Au is the Director of Library Services at University of Hawaii Center, West Hawaii. She holds degrees in Nursing and Sociology and has long experience working with non-profits in West Hawaii. Karen is a long time resident of Kailua-Kona and active in her church and with the American Association of University Women (AAUW). She is the grandparent of a current Hualalai Academy student.
Hazel Beck, Treasurer
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Hazel is President of The Beck Group, Inc., a business consulting practice based on the Big Island of Hawaii. She partners with business owners to reduce operating costs, improve processes and develop strategy. She moved to Kailua-Kona from San Diego, California in 2007. Prior to coming to the Big Island, Hazel had over 21 years of professional experience as a business consultant, facilitator and trainer in global manufacturing environments. She is a member of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the Kona Executives Association (Vice President) and the Hilo Bay Executives Association (Vice President). Her personal interests include: music, travel, reading, auto touring, quilting, gardening and spending time with her family and grandchildren. Hazel holds a B.A. in Business Management, cum laude, from Hiram College. Hazel is the grandmother of two Hualalai Academy students.
Shane Kitchens, Director
Profile
Shane Kitchens is concurrently completing his architect residency for both Hawaii and California, and is owner and principal at Premier Pacific Design Group here in West Hawaii. He is the retained architectural reviewer for Bayview Estates HOA, and a past vice-president on their Board of Directors. Shane has also served as a member on the Keahou Outreach Committee for the last three years. He actively volunteers his time to local schools to assist teachers in the classroom with students who are below grade level in math and reading. He was formerly the founder and coordinator of the Quick Response Team (QRT) for natural disasters at a large California property insurer, and had been appointed a design team coordinator for their statewide initiatives (think tank) for three years. Shane graduated from university in California and currently lives in Keahou with his wife and daughter.
Kyle Datta, Director
Profile
Profile coming soon.
Vahan Chertavian, Director
Profile
Profile coming soon.
Thomas Loratta, Director
Profile
Tom has lived on the west side of the Big Island since 1975, having moved here from Northern California. He has been a real estate broker on the Big Island since 1987, and has worked at many of the successful Gold Coast projects. For the last ten years, Tom has been selling residential property at Hualalai Resort. He lives in Holualoa with his wife and his daughter, who attends Hualalai Academy.
Mariko Foster, Director
Profile
Profile coming soon.
John Bellati, MD, Director
Profile
Profile coming soon.
Kate Mulligan, Director, Ex-Officio
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Kate has her B.A. in English from Dartmouth College and her EdM. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has been an independent school teacher and administrator for over 20 years in Hawaii, California, Alaska and Nevada, including three years at HPA from 1986-1989. Her most recent posts before coming to Hualalai Academy have been as the Head of Middle School at the Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas, and Head of School at Pacific Northern Academy in Anchorage, Alaska.