Our NHO Board of Directors
Verified Native Hawaiians
Our NHO GivebackBy federal law, a “Native Hawaiian” means any individual whose ancestors were natives, prior to 1778, of the area which now comprises the State of Hawaii. (Source: 13 CFR § 124.3).
The majority of our NHO board of directors carries that lineage, documented in writing and verified through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).
Mel
Yokoyama
CAPT, US Navy (Retired)
Author "The Promise I Made"
Kaʻu District, Big Island
Richard Chong
Lt Col, USAF (Retired)
Hilo District, Big Island
Jeff "JP" Schultz
LCDR, USN (Retired)
County of Honolulu, Oahu
Native Hawaiian Ancestry
Ensuring Native Hawaiian ownership and control consistent with SBA regulations and our charter as an SBA-certified NHO.
Our Kuleana
As Board of Directors, we pledge to:
Honor & Preserve — Protect our Native Hawaiian traditions, knowledge, and cultural legacy for future generations.
Serve with Integrity — Act with accountability, transparency, and aloha in all decisions.
Uplift Community — Support programs that strengthen our ʻohana, land, and people.
Get in touch with us to learn more.
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Why Our NHO Is Different
At Mālama Kaʻū Foundation, giving back is not an SBA compliance checkbox. It is kuleana—our sacred responsibility.
The profits our NHO-owned 8(a) companies generate flow directly to our people. To a specific Native Hawaian community. We don’t use a pass-through nonprofit to “give back” to “Native Hawaiians.” Our funds go directly from our NHO to the community.. We are accountable for every dollar and the families it is meant to reach. These are not names on a compliance form. They are our ʻohana—our kūpuna, our parents, our brothers and sisters, the next generation counting on us.
We are Native Hawaiians, born and raised on these islands, with lineages stretching back generations. We built our careers in the military and on the mainland. Now it is our turn to give back.
To safeguard this mission, Mālama Kaʻū will always be led by Native Hawaiians verified through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Hawaiian Registry Program—governance that is authentically Hawaiian by lineage, by tradition, and by purpose.
Transparency is part of our kuleana. We post our full NHO Board of Directors—names, faces, and lineage—right here on this site. So you know who we are.
Every contract we win strengthens our community’s economy and keeps our people rooted in these islands. And if you want to know where the money goes, or simply who stands behind this work, reach out anytime. Come talk story with us.
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