Lilikala K. Kame'eleihiwa

Gladys Brandt Chair of Comparative Polynesian Studies

Historic O‘ahu Fresh Water Fishponds making 1 Million pounds of Fish per Year, Just on the Land!

Lilikala K. Kame?eleihiwa is a senior professor and the Gladys Brandt Chair of Comparative Polynesian Studies at the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies [KCHS], in the Hawai?inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Over the years, since 1993, she has often served as the Director of Kamakakuokalani, most recently from 2014-2017.

Trained as a historian, she is an expert in Hawaiian Ancestral Knowledge and Hawaiian cultural traditions, in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, and has written over 23 courses never taught anywhere else in the world, including HWST 270: Hawaiian Mythology [and in comparison with Polynesia], HWST 341: Hawaiian Genealogies [including the 100 generations of Hawaiian Ali?i], and with Nainoa Thompson the first 2 semester course on HWST 281-282: Traditional Hawaiian Navigation. Most recently she has written and taught a new course on HWST 271: Introduction to Papahulilani Hawaiian Astronomy. She has served as a long time board member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Her articles and books include “Hawai?i-nui-akea Cousins: Ancestral Gods and Bodies of Knowledge are Treasures for the Descendants” [2009], “Kumulipo: A Cosmogonic Guide to Decolonization and Indigenization” [2005], Na Wahine Kapu: Sacred Hawaiian Women [1999], He Mo?olelo Ka'ao o Kamapua'a: A Legendary Traditional of Kamapua'a, the Hawaiian Pig-God [1996], and Native Land and Foreign Desires: Pehea La E Pono Ai? [1992]. Her website on Hawaiian Land research AVAkonohiki.org has had 377,359 hits. Annually, she takes Hawaiian Studies students to present at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Dr. Jim Wyban, PhD

President – Marine Genetics LLC

SPF SHRIMP TECHNOLOGY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

A lifelong scientist-entrepreneur - Jim is a leader in aquaculture technology development. He developed his first fish & shrimp farm in Haleiwa Hawaii after completing his PhD in fish genetics at UH. Jim was then recruited to be the Principal Investigator of the US Shrimp Consortium at Oceanic Institute where he first developed SPF shrimp in 1990. Following the highly successful rollout of SPF shrimp to the US industry, which resulted in a doubling of US production, Jim formed High Health Aquaculture (HHA) to commercialize SPF technology worldwide.

Over 18 years, HHA exported more than 350,000 SPF broodstock to 26 countries, developed SPF breeding stocks with four species and pioneered breeding shrimp for virus-resistance and fast growth. Jim received 9 highly competitive SBIR grants from three US agencies (NSF, USDA, DOC). In the industry Jim is called "the father of SPF shrimp" for his seminal work developing SPF shrimp. The global impact of Jim’s introduction and distribution of SPF shrimp was truly disruptive. Industry output grew from 800,000 Metric Tons in 1993 to 4 million metric tons (5x increase) by 2012. Jim’s development of the global SPF shrimp broodstock market also created a new export industry for Hawaii that is now worth over $30M per year.

In 2012, Jim sold HHA to Asia-based CP Group, the largest shrimp farming company in the world. Since selling HHA, Jim continues to consult to the industry.

Keli'i Kotubetey

He'eia Fishpond - Assistant Executive Director

Ku Mai Leho'ula - Building Generations of Hawaiian Fish Farmers With Stones That Feed

Keli'i Kotubetey who was born and raised at Kawela Bay on the north shore of O'ahu and went to Kamehameha Schools, then to Whitman College to graduate with a BA in Economics with a minor in Environmental Studies. He also received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Hawai’i. He began working at He'eia fishpond when he was 22 years old and served as the organization's first fiscal manager. He is currently the assistant Executive Director as well as the Aina Momona coordinator. He is responsible for bringing awareness of the fishpond to the community while also leading the production and sales of a variety of products from the fishpond following native customs and practices.

Dr. Neil Jacobs, PhD

Assistant Secretary of Commerce, NOAA

TBA

Dr. Neil Jacobs is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Dr. Jacobs is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of over $5.54 billion in annual spending, including key investments in developing a community model framework to advance U.S. weather modeling and prediction, space innovation, streamlining unmanned systems research to provide critical data across NOAA’s mission areas, and unlocking the partnership potential of non-governmental and private organizations to study our nation’s oceans and promote a blue economy.
Previously as the Chief Atmospheric Scientist at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, he directed the research and development of both the aviation weather observing platform and weather forecast model programs. He was previously the Chair of the American Meteorological Society’s Forecast Improvement Group, and also served on the World Meteorological Organization’s aircraft-based observing systems expert team.
Dr. Jacobs holds a bachelor degree in mathematics and physics from the University of South Carolina and masters and doctoral degrees in atmospheric science from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Mark Lyons, PhD

CEO Alltech

Future of Aquaculture and the potential of Planet of Plenty

CEO Dr. Mark Lyons grew up in the Alltech business, having traveled with his father and Alltech’s founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, from a young age to visit customers. With experience working in all regions and nearly all departments — from palletizing bags in production to researching in the lab — he has a deep and uniquely personal knowledge of the company. Based on Alltech's belief that agriculture has the greatest potential to shape our world's future, he launched the Planet of Plenty™ vision in 2019. He has called for collaboration to improve nutrition, human and animal well-being, and the preservation of natural resources. He has spearheaded many critical projects, including simultaneously managing a biorefinery project in Kentucky, the establishment of a plant in Serbia and the creation of Alltech’s flagship yeast production facility in São Pedro, Brazil. He also spent nearly four years in Mexico rebuilding the company’s solid-state fermentation plant in Serdan, which is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

In 2012, Dr. Lyons relocated to China, the world’s largest feed market, as part of Alltech’s focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Living in Beijing and traveling throughout the country, he led the Alltech China office and focused on building bridges between China and the wider industry through research, education and strategic initiatives.

Dr. Lyons has published papers and patents in areas ranging from enzyme production to global economics and is interested in the assurance of food safety and quality throughout the entire food chain. He was also named as one of "The top 50 Irish business men and women in the BRIC countries" and “40 Under 40” leaders in agriculture by Vance Publishing Corporation.