Dr. Sheri Daniels has been leading Papa Ola Lōkahi, the Native Hawaiian Health Board since 2016 as the Chief Executive Officer. Papa Ola Lōkahi (POL) is the organization charged by the United States Congress with administrative oversight of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act [Public Law 102-396]. In this role, she leads efforts to improve the overall health and well-being of Native Hawaiians and their families, through strategic partnerships, programs, and public policy.

Dr. Daniels was born, raised, and currently resides in Maui. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama, Dr. Daniels received her bachelor’s in family resources from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She carries a master’s in counseling psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu, in addition to a doctorate from Argosy University, and currently holds several license certifications. She has close to three (3) decades of experience in social service programs along with years of supervisory experience, including both government and non-profit management. It is through these capacities that Dr. Daniels has worked closely with Hawai‘i’s unique and diverse population to overcome inequities.

Dr. Daniels applies the values of Aloha, Hōʻihi, Laulima, Mālama, Hoʻomanawanui, Lokomaikaʻi, and Pono every day in how she engages with her ʻohana, colleagues, and within multiple communities across the State of Hawaii and the continent. She is actively involved in various community and civic organizations locally, nationally, and internationally. Beginning in early 2020, Sheri shared co-leadership for the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Hawaii COVID-19 Response, Recovery & Resilience Team (NHPI 3R), for which Papa Ola Lōkahi served as the backbone organization. Committed to meeting the needs of our community through public policy and strategic partnerships, she was named among the Pacific Business News’ 2022 Women Who Mean Business. Dr. Daniels has secured increased funding for Native Hawaiian Health – over $28 million and growing – through her collaborations and engagement with federal partners and our Hawai’i congressional delegation.

She understands the value of ʻohana and community especially related to resiliency in how we work to strengthen our lāhui moving forward. Both her education and professional experiences along with her knowledge in understanding of the needs of underrepresented communities are assets that she brings to be inclusive of people, beliefs, and cultural mindfulness. She uses her experiences and expertise in areas such as board governance and how it will be utilized to create opportunities to empower all communities. Along with numerous awards and being recognized for her hard work and efforts, she continues to work tirelessly to support the various Native Hawaiian communities throughout the state and on the continent. Being Native Hawaiian provides her an opportunity to understand first-hand what that means and entails in dealing with these communities.

She believes to create thriving communities, we need to engage with communities in understanding how to best serve, engage and represent.

Lilinoe Kauahikaua, MSW uses she/her/ʻO ia pronouns and is from Piʻihonua, Hilo on Moku o Keawe (Hawaiʻi Island) but has lived and grown in many other spaces throughout her journey, including Oʻahu, California, and Arizona.

She is a 2021 graduate of the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM), and now serves as a program coordinator with Papa Ola Lōkahi, for all substance use and mental health projects, as well as the AANHPI ʻOhana Center of Excellence focusing on behavioral/mental health and substance use.

Her research focuses include data disaggregation, and Indigenous approaches to: behavioral/mental health, reentry services, incarceration, and substance misuse. She also received her B.A. in the Administration of Justice, with a minor in Hawaiian studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, along with a certificate in Hawaiʻi Lifestyles from Hawaiʻi Community College. Lilinoe was appointed by Governor Ige to the Hawai‘i Advisory Commission on Drug Abuse and Controlled Substances and serves on the boards of ʻEkolu Mea Nui, Going Home Hawaiʻi, and Kinohi Mana Nui, and as the cultural committee co-chair for The Going Home Hawaiʻi Consortium, organizations serving the Native Hawaiian community impacted by incarceration and substance misuse. Lilinoe also serves on committees for the Institute of Violence and Trauma (IVAT), and Hawaiʻi SUPD (Substance Use Professional Development) initiative.

Lilinoe received the kāhea to return home and serve her lāhui over 10 years ago and is committed to pursuing social justice for the Native Hawaiian Community. She also enjoys singing, going to the beach, cultural learning, and spending time with ʻohana & friends.

I specialize in health communication, social marketing, and community-based participatory research. I received a Bachelor of Medicine degree in Health Administration from Anhui Medical University, a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies at University of Science and Technology of China, a Master of Public Health, and a PhD at Department of Community and Behavioral Health of College of Public Health in the University of Iowa. During my PhD program, I worked on a project to evaluate the cost of sexual violence in Iowa state. My first job out of the PhD program was working at a community-based organization, Asian Health Coalition for substance abuse prevention among Chinese youth in Chicago Chinatown. I also worked as a research coordinator supervising patient navigators for a NIH R01 grant, to promote breast and cervical cancer screen among Chinese women in Chicago. I recently developed the American Lung Association’s COVID-19 vaccine toolkit for Chinese population. My current research is about how college students are coping with COVID-19 and how the social support on social media is associated with Asian college students’ anxiety level.