Kawaiʻaeʻa named UH Hilo Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

The University of Hawai’i at Hilo will have a new interim vice chancellor for academic affairs this month.

On Aug. 2, UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin announced the appointment of Dr. Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, who currently works as the director of Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.

Kawaiʻaeʻa’s appointment will begin Aug. 14, and she will be filling the shoes of her predecessor Dr. Kris Roney, who resigned.       

Kawaiʻaeʻa has worked in her current position since 2013. She is also an associate professor of Hawaiian Studies, Hawaiian and Indigenous Teacher Education, and Graduate Courses.     

Kawaiʻaeʻa joined UH Hilo in 1992 as an educational specialist. From 1998-2012, she served as founding director of the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program, and Director of Hale Kuamoʻo Hawaiian Language and Culture Center from 1995 – 2008 and 2015-2018. She is also a founding partner of Ulukau, Hawaiʻi’s Digital Electronic Library.                            

She is the principal investigator or co-investigator of numerous grant awards and contracts, an active participant in state, national, international, and Indigenous professional activities and services, lead author and co-author of research and artistic publications, and the recipient of professional honors, recognitions, and awards.               

Kawaiʻaeʻa received her Ph.D. from Union Institute and University in Cincinnati in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in Indigenous Education, Professional Diploma in Education from Chaminade University in Honolulu, and an M.Ed and BA from UH Manoa.                                                          

“As a senior faculty member with a stellar record and numerous ties to the community, Dr. Kawaiʻaeʻa is well prepared to lead academic affairs at this pivotal moment in the history of our campus,” Irwin said. “I look forward to working with her in this new capacity.”