About
We Are KKNOW
Our Vision: Kūkulu Kaiāulu
Kūkulu – To build, as a house; to construct, erect, establish, organize, set up; to put up, as mast and sail; to found, as a society; to establish, as a name or dynasty
Kaiāulu – Community, neighborhood, village
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Our Mission:
Provide a community of practice through collaboration of Kānaka to promote strong and healthy ahupuaʻa.
Since 2017
Officially formed in November 2017, with the goal of providing services to our community.
Driven with passion
From inception to fruition the seven directors have pushed forth to buid a community.
Striving For Success
Each program grows out of a need found within the community. We seek local families to participate during our recruitment period.
Future Expansion
With the success of our programs, we’ve started to collaborate with other communities through out the state
Proven Track Record
With growing programs yearly, we’ve expanded our reach from within our community to state wide.
COVID Relief
Filling needs within the community during troubled times assuring basic necessities are meet
what are we about...
Creating programs of self-sustAINAbility
KKNOW has built a list of programs to help the native community to be come more self-sustainable. From replenishing limu and the marine ecosystem, to home aquaponcis systems providing the household with food / medicine and ensuring ethically responsible community research our program list grows to service those needs that long to be satisfied.
For a complete list of our eight core programs and the projects they cover, please click the link below.
meet our amazing team
The Faces Behind our Success
We Couldn’t Do It Without Them
Kirk Deitschman
A 2013 graduate of Henry J Kaiser High School who received his BBA in Business Management from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Shidler College of Business along with a minor in Religion Studies. He spent a semester studying International Business in Florence, Italy. He interned at Hui Mālama O Ke Kai, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and Ko'olau Mountains Watershed Partnership. Kirk has a deep passion for the Waimānalo community and wants to continue the advancement for our kānaka. He has a strong desire to restore our native natural resources and to be a more self-efficient society, strongly believing in the power of the youth.
Ikaika Rogerson
A civil service worker at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for the last 15 years. He graduated from both Kamehameha Kapālama and the University of Hawai’i with a bachelor of Hawaiian Studies currently pursuing his Master’s Degree. Ikaika is the owner of Rocky Farms, LLC specializing in Hawaiian Lā’au Lapa’au. He is a graduate of the UHM GoFarm Program as well as an established aquaponics farmer. Aside from his own businesses, Ikaika serves on the board of directors for O’ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association and as a board member for both the Waimānalo Market Co-Op board and the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association board.
LeShay Keli'iholokai
Born and raised in Waimānalo, Oʻahu, LeShay received her Bachelors of Science in Pre-Medical Studies from Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Over the course of eight years, LeShay was part of the Hui Mālama O Ke Kai Foundation, where she created the ʻŌpio Leadership Program. This program was developed to instill servant-hood leadership within the ʻōpio of Waimānalo. LeShay went on to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She believes that through art we are able to explore emotional, behavioral, and social challenges to better understand the human psyche, allowing access to one’s core self.
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Theodore Radovitch
Associate Professor/Extension Specialist in the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa. Born and raised in Waimanalo, Ted graduated from Kailua H.S. where he was an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). He has his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from UHM, and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Ted leads the Waimanalo Learning Center at the UHM Waimanalo Research Station, featuring 4 acres of certified organic land and an aquaponics facility. He co-coordinates the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program at UHM and is principal investigator of the Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems Laboratory. Ted lives in Waimanalo with his wife and four children.
Ilima Ho-Lastimosa
A strong proponent of food sovereignty and sustainability, she is passionate about giving Pacific Island communities the tools, knowledge and skills they need to grow food in their backyards. To that end, Ilima became a certified Master Gardener and an aquaponics expert, with which she has spent the last six years teaching aquaponics throughout the Pacific and Pacific Northwest. She received her BA in Hawaiian Studies and MSW from the University of Hawaiʻi. Presently employed as the Community Coordinator for the Waimānalo Research Station, Ilima works with numerous school-aged children through partnerships with nearby schools. As the founder of God’s Country Waimānalo, Ilima has & continues to offer programs to the Waimānalo and Native Hawaiian Communities.
Jane Chung-Do
Associate Professor with the University of Hawai‘i (UHM) Office of Public Health Studies. She obtained her MPH in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences and DrPH in Community and Translational Research from UHM. Jane has been working with the Waimānalo community since 2006 and has provided research support with the aquaponics and wahine wa'a initiatives. She strives to use community-based participatory research by forming partnerships with communities to ensure that all research and health programming are grounded in the values, needs, and strengths of the community. Jane loves to surf and spend time in the ocean with her family.
