[Organizational Structure]   [Yap Community Health Board]

Our Board of Directors includes a wide range of Hawai'ian and Oceanic professionals dedicated to helping the people of Oceania. In addition, to appropriately serve the communities we work in, we have also created community boards that identify and propose future projects for their communities.

Mr. Reed Kishinami - President, Parcon Group Reed Kishinami is a current resident of Honolulu, Hawaii where he has been influential entrepreneur in the local community. Reed is a former member of the board of directors for the Mid-Pacific Institute and is involved in many community-based projects. Reed now heads the company, Unifab Industries LLC, which is a successful pre-fab company in Honolulu. Reed loves to play golf, watch local sports, and spend time with his family.

Mrs. LeBurta Atherton - Board member, Hawai'i Preparatory Academy and Honolulu Academy of Arts. Leburta Atherton is a well known Hawai'i philanthropist who has traveled extensively in the Pacific. Her interests include education, health, arts and the environment, as is evident in her work on the board of directors of Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, The Honolulu Academy of Arts, and the Hawai'i Tropical Garden Society.

Mr. Hilary Tacheliol - Former Lieutenant Governor, Yap State, FSM. Director of the Department of Youth and Civic Affairs, Yap State, FSM. Hilary Tacheliol has held several different positions in the local and state government of Yap. He is the first outer-islander to become Lieutenant Governor of Yap. He has now retired from office and has taken on the position of Chief of Mogmog, an island in Ulithi Atoll. Hilary still lives in Yap with his wife, Rosa, and continues to be an influential part of the local community.

Mr. Sam Anslie - President, W.B. Kukio Resorts Sam is the current president and CEO of Kukio Beach Club. He is also an associate member of the Urban Land Institute and the Kukio foundation. As an active member of the Hawai'i community, Sam feels an obligation to improve the health and quality of life of the Pacific. He hopes Oceania Community Health will be able to partner the resources of individuals and organizations to build a better heath and wellness program for the people of Oceania. In his free time, Sam enjoys golf, surfing, family activities and participating in his church.

Dr. Neal Palafox (MD, MPH) - Chairman of the John A. Burns School of Medicine (University of Hawai'i) Family Practice Department Dr. Neal Palafox is currently the chairman of the Department of Family Practice and Preventative Medicine at the University of Hawaii's John Burns School of Medicine. He has traveled all over the Pacific and worked in the Republic of the Marshall Islands from 1982 to 1991. Dr. Palafox has continued to be active in Pacific health issues. He was recently honored by the Intercultural Cancer Council in Washington, D.C. for his most recent work addressing Cancer in the Pacific. Neal feels that with careful collaboration with cultural and political institutions, Oceania Community Health will make a measured and sustainable impact in the health of island communities.

Mr. Will Hancock - Board Member of North Hawai'i Community Hospital, Board Member, Kahilu Theater Will is currently a member of the board of directors for North Hawai'i Community Hospital and North Hawai'i Hospice. He has been interested in the people of the Pacific since first moving to Hawai'i in 1964. After spending over 30 years working at the Hawai'i Preparatory Academy as the business manager, he is now a member of the NBOA. Will visited Ulithi Atoll in 1974 and understands that Oceania Community Health would be beneficial to health improvement in the Pacific.

Mr. Max Yarawamai - Ulithian Cultural Expert Max moved from Ulithi Atoll in Yap, Micronesia to attend high school in Hawai'i in 1974. Since his move, Max has lived in Hawai'i, and currently resides on the Big Island working as head of grounds for Kukio Beach Club. Despite not returning to his native Ulithi to live, Max has always tried to support the Micronesian community by helping his family and people in any way he can. Max sees Oceania Community Health as a way to a larger impact in helping the health of the region. In his traveling with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Max understands that many Pacific communities are facing health challenges and hopes that Oceania Community Health will be able to work throughout the Pacific. Max is most proud of his family, his wife and two daughters.

Dr. W. Thane Hancock (MD, MPH) - Chief Resident, University of Hawai'i Family Practice Residency Max's adopted brother, Thane, is currently a family practice resident at the University of Hawai'i Family Practice and Community Health Residency Program. Since his first visit to the islands of Micronesia at the age of fourteen, it has been his interest to return to serve the community in some kind of health capacity. He hopes to eventually serve in Micronesia as a family practice physician and public health professional. In his free time, Thane enjoys running, fishing, and spending time with family.

Bruce Blankenfeld Bruce Blankenfeld is a navigator for the Polynesian Voyaging Society. In addition to navigating, he plays an active role in the educational aspect of sailing. Bruce is also on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Marine Life Foundation. He has sailed and traveled all over the Pacific and shares a special interest in the health of Pacific communities. His leisure interests include outrigger paddling and coaching, surfing, and growing taro.

Nainoa Thompson Nainoa Thompson is currently the Program Director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, leading a revival of the traditional voyaging arts in Hawaii. Using his accomplishments of the past 20 years, he has developed multi-disciplined, culturally relevant educational programs in partnership with other educational institutions, organizations and agencies. Nainoa is chairman of the board of trustees for Kamehameha Schools, is a former member of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and current Special Advisor to the President on Hawaiian Affairs, and is on the Advisory Council of the Ocean Policy Institute. Nainoa has always had a special interest in the Pacific and would like to improve the overall health of the people.