YP Exec Connect with Representative Darius Kila, Justice Sabrina McKenna, and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu Sponsored by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union

Exclusive luncheon event for YP members only!

Join the YPs for this intimate lunch event with three of Hawaii's most accomplished leaders! This is open to current YP members only and limited to only eight YP members per executive. Sign up NOW to attend this great "talk story" luncheon and learn from these accomplished trailblazers shaping law, policy, and culture in our community.

Please note, a $10 no-show fee will be applied for missed Exec Connect events without at least 24 hours' notice. We understand that schedules can change, and we kindly ask that you notify us in advance if you're unable to attend. This helps us better manage our events and accommodate others who may be on the waitlist. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Executive Networking Tip: Let the executive at your table lead the conversation. Your role is to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and engage, not to pitch or dominate the discussion. These moments are rare, so make them count by being genuinely curious!

Featured Trailblazers:
 
Representative Darius Kila
State of Hawaii

Representative Darius K. Kila is a proud lifelong resident of Leeward Oahu and currently serves in the Hawaii State House of Representatives, representing District 44, which includes Maili, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Honokai Hale, and Ko Olina.

First elected in 2022, Darius is among the youngest members of the Hawaii Legislature and one of the few Native Hawaiian lawmakers serving at the State Capitol. A graduate of Kapolei High School, he made history as the first alumnus of the school to be elected to public office. Darius attended Lane College in Tennessee, Fullerton College in California, and Southern Oregon University, where he studied Broadcast Journalism.

Darius currently serves as Chair of the House Committee on Transportation, where he has led efforts to improve roadway safety, modernize transportation policy, strengthen traffic enforcement tools, and advance critical infrastructure investments statewide. He also serves on the House Committees on Housing, Education and Higher Education, is Vice Chair of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, Co-Chair of the House Wildfire Prevention Working Group, and serves on the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Throughout his time in office, Darius has championed advanced sweeping and robust legislation focused on transportation safety, consumer protection, public health, housing, Native Hawaiian issues, mental health services, and government accountability. His legislative accomplishments include securing funding for cancer research, expanding access to mental health services, advancing transportation and public safety initiatives, supporting Alzheimer's awareness and education, and advocating for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and communities across Hawaii.

In his district, Darius has secured tens of millions of dollars in public investments supporting transportation improvements, schools, housing infrastructure, public safety projects, and community facilities throughout the Waianae Coast and West Oahu. He is known for his accessibility, hands-on approach to constituent services, and commitment to ensuring government works for the people it serves.

Beyond his legislative responsibilities, Darius remains actively involved in his community through neighborhood engagement, youth mentorship, cultural advocacy, and public service initiatives. He believes effective leadership begins with listening and remains committed to bringing the voices of his constituents directly into the policymaking process.


Justice Sabrina McKenna
State of Hawaii

Sabrina Shizue McKenna attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa on a Wahine Basketball scholarship as an early beneficiary of Title IX. Her JD is from the UHM Wm. S. Richardson School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. She also has an LLM from Duke Law School.

After her JD, she served as a civil litigator, corporate general counsel to an international real estate company, a Richardson Law faculty member, and, from 1993 to 2011, as a Hawaii’s limited jurisdiction then general jurisdiction trial court judge, presiding over civil, criminal, and family law matters, and also served as Senior Judge of the Family Court on Oahu.

She joined the Hawaii Supreme Court as an Associate Justice on March 3, 2011, and served as its Acting Chief Justice from October 2025 to May 2026. She teaches State Constitutional Law at Richardson and writes and speaks domestically and internationally on various issues.

She is an Association of Corporate Counsel Foundation (Washington, D.C. based) Global Women in Law & Leadership Honoree and her other awards include the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award and Stonewall Award, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award, and the University of Hawaii Distinguished Alumnus Award.


Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
Cultural Ambassador
Hawaiian Council

Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina, is a Native Hawaiian Mahu — a traditional third gender person who occupies "a place in the middle" between male and female. She is known for her work as a kumu hula ("hula teacher"), as a filmmaker, artist, activist, and as a community leader in the field of kanaka maoli language and cultural preservation. She teaches Kanaka Maoli philosophy and traditions that promotes cross-cultural alliances throughout the Pacific Islander community.

She was a founder of the Kulia Na Mamo transgender health project and cultural director of a Hawaiian public charter school, and formerly taught Hawaiian language at Leeward Community College. As a candidate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, she was one of the first transgender candidates for statewide political office in the United States. She also served as the Chair of the Oahu Island Burial Council, which oversees the management of Native Hawaiian burial sites and ancestral remains.

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu was the subject of the feature documentary film Kumu Hina, directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson. In 2020, she directed, produced, and narrated Kapaemahu, an animated short film based on the Hawaiian story of four legendary mahu who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii and imbued their powers on giant boulders that still stand on Waikiki Beach. Narrated in the rare Niihau dialect of Hawaiian, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and qualified for the Oscars at Animayo in 2020.

Her honors include the National Education Association Ellison Onizuka Human and Civil Rights Award, Native Hawaiian Community Educator of the Year, and a White House Champion of Change. USA Today named Wong-Kalu one of ten Women of the Century from Hawaii, and she is featured in Naomi Hirada's 2022 anthology We Are Here: 30 Inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Have Shaped the United States, published by the Smithsonian Institution.


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