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Keiki O Ka `Āina > About > Key Personnel
| Keiki O Ka `Āina Key Personnel
Momi Akana
Executive Director
Momi Akana is the founder and Executive Director of Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers (KOKA). Initially opening in 1996 with 30 keiki and their parents, the program has grown to serve over 2,000 keiki and parents this past school year ('06 -'07) at 40 community sites on Oahu and Maui.
Momi was a speaker at the Native Hawaiian Education Conference in 2002, organized the first Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters Conference in Hawaii in 2003, expanded program services to the neighbor islands and the Women's Correctional Center in 2004, received the Hawaii's Outstanding Parent Friendly Business Award in 2005, received the Losos National Award for Excellence in 2006 and was chosen by the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Program this year as the recipient of a new residence and Community Center.
Momi has been an advocate for family-based education programs. She is a certified PAT (Parents As Teachers) and HIPPY (Home Instruction For Parents Of Preschool Youngsters) Program Supervisor. She has been the Project Director for six D.O.E. (Department Of Education) Native Hawaiian Education Act Grants, and several community-based and state grants. She has also served on the Voyager Charter School local school board and the Kalihi Neighborhood Board, the Honolulu Council of Ho'owaiwai Na Kamali'i and The Good Beginnings Alliance Oahu Council. She is currently serving on the Task Force for Children of Incarcerated Parents, the Eleu Group, and the FINE group of Early Childhood Administrators. Momi has two sons and two daughters who continually remind her of the pleasures and challenges of parenting, and her experiences add depth, perspective and delight to her understanding of child rearing.
Contact Momi Akana by email
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Dr. Vicki Draeger
Director of Early Childhood Programs
Vicki Draeger is program director of Parents As Teacher (PAT), a nationally acclaimed home visiting program for parents of children 0-3. She is also the Director of Early Childhood Programs for the agency and lends her expertise to all Keiki O Ka 'Aina Early Childhood programs within the agency.
Vicki received her Bachelors degree in Education and English, her Master's in Teaching Language Arts, and her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. She is certified by the American Montessori Society preschool through grade three, having attended the St. Nicholas Montessori Teacher Training Centre in London, England and The College of New Rochelle in New York. Dr. Draeger has extensive teaching experience and is the Founder of Christy Park Montessori Preschool in St. Louis, Countryside and Country Day Academy in Largo, Florida, and Clearview Girls School on Maui. Former Head of School of Montessori of Maui, Dr. Draeger has served as adjunct staff at Chaminade University on O'ahu, and Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has been a guest lecturer in Japan, Russia, and Nicaragua.
Contact Vicki Draeger by email
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`Ānela Gueco
Kulia I Ka Nu'u Po'o/Director
`Ānela is the Director of Kulia I Ka Nu`u - our Hawaiian based Montessori Preschool Curriculum Program. She helped to develop the Hawaiian curriculum and has worked for Keiki O Ka `Äina for 7+ years. `Ānela received her Bachelors Degree in Hawaiian Studies and Minor Certificate in Hawaiian Language from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa.
`Ānela started out as our Hawaiian Cultural Curriculum Specialist, and went on to teach in our Bilingual (Hawaiian/English) Preschool in Ko`olaupoko. She then became our Office Manager/Executive Assistant prior to moving into the Kulia I Ka Nu`u Program. `Ānela also works in our SPAFT Program at the Women's Community Correctional Center in Kailua. In addition she is a member of our Hui Alaka`i (Executive Committee within our agency) and serves as one of our spiritual, cultural and language advisors.
`Ānela has worked as a teacher, working with families and children ages birth -18 years old. She has worked in the Hawaiian community for over 12+ years with children, parents and kapuna (treasured elders). She has also traveled the world working in diverse cultures and places. She loves working with families to strengthen our communities and the future of our beloved home, Hawai'i.
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Mili Kawaa
Parent Participation Preschool Coordinator
Mili Kawaa is a native Hawaiian from the Island of Moloka`i. She was born and raised in the valley of Halawa where her family cultivated kalo (taro). She comes from a native speaking family who nurtured the land and environment just as they nurtured their own families. Her roots and foundations which are the basis for her innate wisdom and knowledge (of Hawaiian spiritual and cultural values) are birthed from all of the above. She also received training in traditional cultural practices such as Ho`oponopono and La`au Lapa`au. Outside of her family, she has studied under teachers such as Aunty Malia Craver and Papa Henry `Auwae.
Mili graduated from the University of Hawai`i in Hawaiian Language. She also has a business administration background working with Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center for 30 plus years. In her last seven years at the Center, she was the Culture Specialist and Coordinator that she spent countless invaluable hours learning and assisting Aunty Malia Craver with Hawaiian spiritual and cultural training within the organization and state-wide.
As our Preschool Coordinator, Mili leads and cares for our entire Preschool Staff. She is also our lead cultural advisor, as well as one of our language and spiritual advisors. Mili also serves on our Hui Alaka`i.
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Jenna Umiamaka
Project Director
Jenna Umiamaka a native Hawaiian is the Project Director for the Healthy Marriages program and the Parents As Teachers program with Keiki O Ka Aina FLC (KOKA). She has a B.A. degree in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and formerly served as a Part-time teacher and Student Services Coordinator at Salt Lake Elementary School. She has been with KOKA for 9 years in many different capacities.
She is a trained Loving Couples Loving Children curriculum facilitator and facilitates marriage classes for Native couples, healthy relationship classes for single women in prison, pregnant teens in the GRADS program, as well as the Hale Kipa's Hui Malama Ohana Youth Services program for at-risk children in middle school. Jenna has been the Project Manager of this award for the last 3 of a 5 year grant.
Jenna is also responsible for fundraising, volunteer recruitment, special events and a community resource for families and employees alike. She also serves on the Hui Alaka'i committee within the agency, helping to make important decisions for the future success of KOKA and its programs. She is excited to continue facilitating, training and encouraging couples and youth alike to maintain, improve or recognize what a healthy relationship is and the benefits it has on the children, family, and community.
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Wayna Buch
Parent Participation Program (PPP) Director
Wayna was born in Kalihi Valley on Oahu. She is the mother of four (three are adopted, and one is biological child) and grandmother of six wonderful children. After fostering for 25 years and raising her children she returned to college to study child development, early childhood and family life education. She holds a dual Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education; Child Development, and a Masters in Family Life Education. In 2002, Wayna founded, "Strengthening Keiki (Kids) of Incarcerated Parents"(SKIP), which is being implemented in Hawaii and six other states to address the impact of parental incarceration. As an advocate for children and families, her philosophy is:
"Together We Can; Together We Must!"
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Lani Kaleikini
HELP Child Care Coordinator
Lani Kaleikini is the project director for the Hawaii Early Learning Partnerships (HELP) for Child Care Program, a federally funded project that provides child care subsidies to Native Hawaiian families. He was born on the Island of O'ahu and has had the opportunity to live in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, the Philippines, and Germany. He acknowledges that his time away from his homeland has given him an expanded perspective of his Native Hawaiian identity in a national and global context. However, Lani is, first and foremost, proud to be Hawaiian and feels privileged to serve the Hawaiian people each and every day.
He has thirty years (30) experience in the early childhood field. After serving a four year stint in the United States Army he worked at a Honolulu preschool for twenty years and then spent the last ten years working for a Native Hawaiian non-profit organization. In late 2010 Lani joined Keiki O Ka 'Aina Family Learning Centers as the current HELP for Child Care Program director.
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Walli Kia
Child Care Coordinator
Walli has served as Child Care Coodinator for KOKA for many years. She is responsible for recruiting, training and coordinating a professional team of childcare staff that provide support to KOKA's existing programs.These include: HIPPY, Kulia I ka Nu'u, The Parent Participation Preschools, as well as Staff Developments, Healthy Marriages, Parents As Teachers Program group meetings and Pauahi Scholars Program family development meetings. She has been associated with Early Childcare Programs for over twenty years.
Walli was trained in-house in the Montessori Method of teaching, and completed The Orton Gillingham reading tutorial course at Assests School. She accrued numerous hours of course time with PACE, PATCH and NAEYC and worked five years with the Children's Ministry at New Hope Christian Fellowship. She successfully homeschooled her two sons, both of whom graduated from division one colleges on full scholarships. Walli has been kama'aina for 35 years and has tremendous respect for the Hawaiian culture and values.
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