Kūpa‘a Maui Ola Summit

Our inaugural summit event for state department leadership and supervisors was held in late May 2024 at Koʻolau Ballrooms in Kāneʻohe. Mahalo nui for your continued partnership in making Hawai’i a trauma-informed state!

Check out the visual notes from the day here.

Executive Order: Creating a Trauma-Informed State 

About Our Speakers & Panelists 

Keynote Speaker 

Val Kalei Kanuha, MSW, Ph.D., was born and raised in Hilo in the 1950s. She is the daughter of a Hawaiian father and Nisei mother. Dr. Kanuha considers herself a critical, indigenous, feminist, activist-practitioner scholar with a focus on gender violence against women and children, and the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender and sexual identity. For almost 50 years, she has worked as a community-based researcher and consultant with organizations in Hawaiʻi and the continental U.S., and lectures widely on violence against women and social justice issues. Her research and community interests include using Indigenous, culturally based interventions for family and domestic violence; intimate violence in women’s same-sex and queer relationships; and alternative, community-based justice innovations to address interpersonal and S/state violence. 

Professor Kanuha received the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Presidential Award for Excellence in Research and the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award. She is a founding member of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Women’s Center, Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS in New York, and INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence.  

She has served as a board member and advisor on many community and national organizations and projects, and is currently on the Advisory Committee of the Spirit Aligned Leadership Program, honoring Indigenous women elders from the U.S and Canada. Kalei received her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, her master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and her Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Washington. Kalei was the inaugural Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and currently serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Kalei honors her grandmother, Becky Ninauokealoha Kanuha, her mother, Chitose Araki Kanuha, and Aunty Malia Craver for their unconditional love. 

Panel 1: 

Lessons from the Evolution of Trauma-Informed Care in Our State Systems 

Danny Goya is a husband, father and servant leader. Mr. Goya is an educator with over 15 years of teaching experience in various settings, including the Department of Education (DOE), Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), community colleges, and international environments. He is also a community connector with 18 years of non-profit and community work experience.

Mr. Goya’s significant professional accomplishments include creating the first nationally accredited (NAEYC) homeless preschool in the nation. Since 2007, the Ka Paʻalana Homeless Traveling Preschool has employed timeless Native Hawaiian values, literacy, evidence-based theories of change, and trauma-informed care strategies to support over 3,000 homeless and at-risk children. Additionally, he co-created the Ke Kama Pono Safehouse in Kalaeloa, a residential program for adjudicated adolescent males. The overarching goal of Ke Kama Pono is to reunify adjudicated males ages 13-17 with their families and successfully reintegrate them back into society.

Mr. Goya is also a trauma-informed care trainer and strategist. His methodologies integrate Western sciences and Indigenous cultural practices in a “two-lens” approach to addressing community issues, historical and situational trauma, and building wellness and resilience.

Tia L.R. Hartsock, MSW, MSCJA, (she/her) is the inaugural director of the Office of Wellness and Resilience, housed within the Office of the Governor Josh Green, M.D. It is the first statewide office of its kind in the nation, supporting the wellness and resilience of Hawai’i’s people through trauma-informed care strategies.  

Tia has worked for nearly 25 years to improve our state’s mental health and criminal justice systems. She is on several national initiatives and working groups related to trauma-informed care, including Pathways to Resilience with the National Governors Association and the National Behavioral Health Equity Steering Committee. Formerly, Tia was the project director on three Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded initiatives within the Hawai‘i Department of Health to develop and provide mental health services for adolescent girls and other historically underserved populations, overseeing multiagency collaborations to improve the delivery of services by the state’s mental health system using trauma-informed and gender-specific frameworks.   

Tia is a nationally certified trauma-informed care trainer with SAMHSA’s Gains Center. She was also appointed as an adjunct faculty lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, and has lectured at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Tia earned her Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Chaminade University with a specialization in juvenile justice and her Master of Social Work from the University of Hawai‘i with a specialization focus on mental health.  

Patrick K. Uchigakiuchi, Ph.D., (he/him) is a psychologist currently working with community-based organizations focused on addressing social justice issues related to Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders and Asians residing in Hawai‘i. He provides research, program evaluation and consultation services to state agencies and community-based organizations through respectful, collaborative, and culturally appropriate partnerships that center individuals, families and communities experiencing disparities in health, education, justice, social and economic domains. He values their multiple sources of knowledge, ways of learning and the historical context of their current challenges. He works from a strength- and gift-based perspective to support achievement of personal health and well-being, resiliency, loving relationships, and the attainment of meaningful educational and employment goals.  

Patrick has held faculty positions at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Social Sciences Research Institute, and at the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Hawai’i. His current work involves providing research and consultation to community-based initiatives aimed at reforming Hawai‘i’s juvenile and adult justice systems and conducting culturally relevant program evaluations of culture-based interventions for youth and adults experiencing serious emotional and behavioral challenges. 

Sharon has more than 17 years of experience working in human/social services and has worked within the nonprofit sector for more than 14 years. Sharon has also served as a consultant to the Department of Human Services to redesign transitional services for young people exiting the foster care system, and as the interim executive director for the National Association of Social Workers, Children’s Alliance of Hawai‘i and Central O‘ahu Youth Services Association. Sharon has also taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work and Outreach College. She has experience in curriculum development, program evaluation, strategic planning and conference/event planning. 

Statewide Wellness & Quality of Life Survey: 

Partnership with the University of Hawai’i Health Policy Initiative 

Trina Orimoto, Ph.D., (she/her) is passionate about improving the health of our communities equitably. As a licensed psychologist, she works to design, disseminate and implement data tools to inform decision-making for health systems. Dr. Orimoto previously served as the Program Improvement and Communications Office Chief at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division where she championed the statewide research, legislative, and strategic communications efforts. She also supervised student research and clinical training, and provided clinical lead services at local Hawai‘i Department of Health Family Guidance Centers.   

Dr. Orimoto is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and completed her clinical internship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She currently serves on the boards of the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association, Hawaiʻi Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development and The Early School. She is also a regular volunteer for Maʻi Movement Hawaiʻi. During her free time, you will find her at the beach or on a neighborhood hike with her partner and two children, ages 8 and 3. 

Kev Thompson, MSW, Ph.D., (he/him) is a project manager with the Office of Wellness and Resilience, housed in the Office of the Governor. He has around 15 years of experience in mental and behavioral health prevention, research and analysis, project management, strategic action and strategic planning, as well as over 20 years of expertise in training and curriculum development, policy analysis and management, and program and process assessment and evaluation.  

Kev was awarded the Civilian Service Commendation and Civilian Service Achievement Medals from the Department of the Navy for the creation of and continued contributions to the Embedded Preventive Behavioral Health Capability for the United States Marine Corps. He earned his Master of Social Work at the University of Southern California and his Ph.D. in psychology at Northcentral University in San Diego. 

Panel 2: 

Inspiring Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care in Our State Systems 

Adriane Abe (she/her) is a program specialist with the Hawai‘i Judiciary. She spent more than 30 years of experience working in the juvenile justice system at the First Circuit Family Court, and was a member of the State Juvenile Justice Innovation Group. Adriane was part of the founding group of probation officers and judges who established the Hawaiʻi Girls Court, which is grounded in trauma-informed and gender-responsive care. 

Mark Kawika Patterson (he/him) is currently the administrator of the Hawai`i Youth Correctional Facility, Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center. Mr. Patterson began his career in Hawai`i’s Department of Public Safety over 37 years ago as a corrections officer. He rose to the rank of warden in 2007 and began a successful tenure working at the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC). At WCCC, he facilitated a transitional process to instill trauma-informed practices throughout the facility, state agencies and community partners. 

In June 2014, Mr. Patterson was recruited to build upon his success at WCCC and assist the reform efforts at the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility for the Office of Youth Services (OYS), within the Department of Human Services. In this role, he continued his trauma-informed care work to integrate opportunities to identify and address trauma and strengthen family connections. His passion to rethink the corrections approach and move toward a therapeutic approach was centered on the Hawaiian concept of creating a pu‘uhonua—a traditional Hawaiian sanctuary of healing.  

Mr. Patterson’s leadership has been instrumental in Hawai‘i’s movement to become a trauma-informed state over the past 15 years. He is involved in numerous state and national trauma-informed care initiatives, and consults with national experts on how trauma-informed care environments can improve outcomes in correctional settings. In 2022, Mr. Patterson was appointed by the Congressional Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) as a Practitioner to the Coordinated Council of the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention based on testimony on trauma-informed care at a SCIA hearing. He is currently the chair of the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission (established in 2019 through Act 179).  

Janae Davis (she/her) was born and raised on the island of O‘ahu. She is finishing her second year at Leeward Community College with a concentration in psychology. She recently became certified as a youth mental health coach through Light University, and is pursuing a specialized certificate program in suicide prevention and trauma-informed care coaching.  

Janae experienced homelessness as a child, which resulted in her and her siblings going through the foster care system and navigating it until she aged out. Her lived experience and expertise in the child welfare system drive her faith and work serving families as a youth partner with EPIC ‘Ohana. She is passionate about mental health, and believes in forgiveness, healing, and that, together, we can end the gender role stereotypes formed around our mental and emotional well-being. 

Laurie Arial Tochiki, J.D., Ph.D., (she/her) will retire as the executive director of EPIC ‘Ohana, a nonprofit organization serving families, children and youth in the child welfare system at the end of this month. “EPIC,” which stands for Effective Planning and Innovative Communication, reflects the organization’s goal of breaking down barriers between social workers, families, government systems and others. EPIC is the backbone organization of a network of agencies and foundations called Nā Kama a Hāloa, which seeks to improve outcomes for Native Hawaiian children touched by the child welfare system. 

From 1999 to 2011, Laurie served as associate dean for student services at the William S. Richardson School of Law. While working at the University she studied higher education administration and policy, earning a doctorate in education policy in 2015. Her dissertation described the Ulu Lehua program, and particularly the work of Chris Iijima, a professor who led the program in the early 2000s. Dr. Tochiki also earned a master’s degree in administration, with an emphasis on public administration from the Hawaiʻi campus of Central Michigan University, and a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College with a double major in sociology and psychology. Dr. Tochiki has a certificate in trauma-effective leadership from the University of Minnesota and a senior professional in human resources certification from the HRCI. 

In 2021, she was awarded the Casey Excellence for Children Award for Leadership from Casey Family Programs. She is a co-founder of the Kids First program at the First Circuit’s Family Court, and the family group decision-making process called ‘Ohana Conferencing. She is a recipient of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s “Golden Gavel” award, the Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers Distinguished Service Award, the Hawaiʻi Women’s Legal Foundation’s Rhoda Lewis Community Service Award and the William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni Association Service Award. In 2022, Laurie was appointed by Governor David Ige to serve as a regent on the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents.