YP Cost of Living Summit presented by Tradewind Group: Speakers

SPEAKERS
 

Steven Bond-Smith
Assistant Professor
UHERO

Steven joined UHERO as an Assistant Professor in 2021. Steven’s main research focus is the implications of distance and scale for productivity and growth in small and isolated economies such as Hawai’i. This research helps to understand regional growth dynamics and supports development of place-based policy approaches, informed by theory and data, to support economic growth for more people in more places. Steven is a co-editor for the journal Spatial Economic Analysis. Prior to joining UHERO, Steven was a Senior Research Fellow in Economics at Curtin University in Western Australia. Steven was previously employed in various government, corporate and consulting roles in Australia and New Zealand providing economic advice to government departments, regulators, businesses and stakeholders.


Chevelle Davis
Director of Early Childhood and Health Policy
Hawaii Children's Action Network

Chevelle is Director of Early Childhood and Health Policy at Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network (HCAN), the state’s only non-profit committed solely to advocating for children. HCAN leads movements through analysis, education, advocacy, community organizing, and coalition building so all keiki in Hawai‘i are safe, healthy, and learning. Currently, HCAN convenes coalitions focused on access to quality childcare/preschool for all families, tax fairness, improving dental care for children, child abuse and neglect prevention, and improvements to WIC.

Davis has a Master’s degree in Public Health focusing on health policy and management. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in public health, focusing on community-based participatory and translational research at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is a recent Health Policy Research Scholars graduate, a national leadership program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for doctoral students from marginalized backgrounds to apply research to build healthier and more equitable communities.

Since 2018, Chevelle has dedicated herself to enhancing sexual and reproductive healthcare and parental and child healthcare service delivery throughout the state. Her ongoing efforts aim to reimagine systems to address the social and structural determinants of health for Hawai‘i’s communities.


Vivian Eto
Strategy and Project Management Lead
Early Childhood Action Strategy

Vivian Eto is the Strategy and Project Management Lead for ECAS.

Vivian brings 30 years of experience, working in the early care and education field to support ECAS network partners. She has worked on a range of early childhood program areas that span Child Care Resource and Referral, Head Start/Early Head Start, child care subsidy, quality-improvement, workforce-development, and universal preschool initiatives. Vivian has also worked on and led collective impact efforts in both California and North Carolina. Vivian holds a MA in Educational Psychology, Developmental Studies from UCLA and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stanford.

Scott Glenn
Senior Advisor, Federal Affairs, Climate and Housing
Office of Governor Josh Green, MD
State of Hawaii

Scott Glenn serves as Senior Advisor, Federal Affairs, Climate, and Housing in the Office of Governor Josh Green, MD. He has held leadership positions in Hawaii state government since 2015: Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control; Chief Energy Officer of the Hawaii State Energy Office; and Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. He currently acts as the Governor’s representative to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

He has served as an appointed or ex officio on the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, Environmental Council, and the Council on Transit-Oriented Development. He has also led international engagement with the United Nations, Pacific nations and islands, and nationally on climate change. Scott specializes in innovative, consensus-oriented problem solving for difficult challenges. In his various capacities, Scott has led teams innovating government operations to better protect Hawaii’s environment, transition to renewable energy, and promote sound planning across the State. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii, obtained in 2009.

Sterling Higa
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Housing Hawaii's Future

Sterling Higa co-founded and serves as executive director of Housing Hawaii's Future, a nonprofit movement creating opportunities for Hawai‘i's next generation by ending the workforce housing shortage. He lives in Kaka‘ako with his wife and four children. Prior to co-founding Housing Hawai‘i's Future, Sterling was a lecturer at Hawai‘i Pacific University and a writer for Honolulu Civil Beat and Hawaii Business Magazine.
 
Sterling serves as Chair of the Hawaii Community Development Authority and as an advisory council member for House Maui and for EAH Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer.


Alana Kobayashi Pakkala
CEO
Kobayashi Group LLC

As Executive Vice President of Kobayashi Group, Alana Kobayashi Pakkala brings more than two decades of Hawai‘i real estate development and investment experience. Her tenure is characterized by a commitment to excellence across diverse sectors, including residential, hospitality, retail, non-profit, and government. Since assuming leadership in 2018, she has overseen the completion or progression of over 2,000 residential units, maintaining a balanced mix of 60% affordable and 40% market to luxury homes, with a focus on innovative sustainable development practices. 

Aligned with Kobayashi Group’s core values of integrity, tenacity, humility, and kindness, Alana approaches her work with a high attention to detail. A graduate of Punahou School and Georgetown University, she has been active in numerous community organizations and boards like Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children and is a founding member of The GIFT Foundation of Hawaii.



Billy Pieper
SVP, Director of Strategic Partnerships
American Savings Bank

Billy Pieper is Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Partnerships for American Savings Bank (ASB). He joined ASB in 2021 and has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. Billy is passionate about bringing real impact to the community and has spearheaded various economic development and affordable housing initiatives, including ASB’s new This is HOME first-time homebuyer program and a mortgage lending initiative with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to expand affordable homeownership access to the Native Hawaiian community. Billy mentors young leaders as a financial education instructor for the University of Hawaii at Manoa Shidler College of Business. His commitment to the community was recognized in 2009 when he received Pacific Business News’ Community Leader of the Year award. Billy serves as the board chair for Iolani Palace and is a board member for Hawaii Community Lending and the Daniel Kahikina Akaka Foundation. He is a member of the advancement committee for the Polynesian Voyaging Society and a campaign committee member for the American Heart Association. He served as board chair for Bishop Museum and the Ke Alii Pauahi Foundation. Billy holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is an Omidyar Fellow and Pacific Century Fellow and a graduate of the First Nations’ Futures Program and ASB’s Leadership Academy.


Pamela Strode
Owner & Director
Strode Montessori

Pamela Strode is the owner and director of Strode Montessori. She became inspired when she began working with infants and toddlers after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Economics in 2008 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She went on to earn a Master’s in Education Curriculum Studies with a focus on Early Childhood Education in 2010 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa while simultaneously earning her AMS Infant/Toddler Montessori teaching credentials at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado. Strode Montessori has been serving children ages 6 weeks-6 years since 2011 working with 110 families at any given time.


Josh Wisch
President & CEO
Holomua Collective

Josh Wisch is the president & CEO of Holomua Collective.  Previously, he was the executive director for the ACLU of Hawaii, special assistant to the Hawaii Attorney General, deputy director of the Hawaii Department of Taxation, and a manager for multiple political campaigns.  Now, he spends his time advocating for a more affordable Hawaii.  


Candice Wong
Director of Benefit Services
ALTRES

Candice Wong is the Director of Benefit Services at ALTRES, where she has worked for the past seven years. She is responsible for managing a team of thirty benefits specialists and oversees existing and new lifestyle benefits for over 2,000 local organizations that have partnered with ALTRES to handle human resources administration and payroll.

Prior to working at ALTRES, Candice worked for 17 years in the post-secondary federal financial aid industry, during which she specialized in student loan default management, and was responsible for educating students on credit and financial wellness. Throughout her career, Candice has seen firsthand the importance of financial literacy and tools offered in the workplace and beyond. 

Raised on the Windward side of O’ahu, Candice graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a B.S. in Management.