Kaʻiu Kimura, director of Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, officially received her 2026 Athena Leadership Award from the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. The local award originates from Athena International, a non-profit organization that empowers women, girls, and allies worldwide to develop inclusive leadership through programs and opportunities. The award was announced earlier this month but the official ceremonies took place January 20 at a luncheon hosted by the chamber.
Kimura was named director of the university’s Hawaiian language college in 2023. She is long-standing executive director at UH Hilo’s ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, a position she retains while serving as director of the college. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, she received her bachelor of arts and master of arts in Hawaiian language and literature from UH Hilo and is currently a candidate in the university’s Indigenous language revitalization doctoral program.
- Read full story on Kaʻiu Kimura’s accomplishments.
Kimura was nominated for the award by UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. The following is Chancellor Irwin’s introductory remarks at the event on Tuesday.
A number of remarkable people work at UH Hilo, and we are fortunate to have them among us on campus and here in the community. Many remarkable people are UH Hilo alumni. Our guest of honor today belongs to both groups.
When it came time for me to nominate someone for the Athena Award, Kaʻiu immediately came to mind as the best candidate. Past president of both the Japanese Chamber and our Hawaiʻi Island Chamber, executive director of the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, interim director of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani (College of Hawaiian Language).
Patrice Buckner Jackson defines four factors that combine to create each person’s individual brilliance: Training, Talent, Identity, and Passion. I will not recite all the impressive training that Kaʻiu as received or her many talents, but I do want to say a few things about her identity and passion.
Kaʻiu Kimura leads with kindness and a quiet modesty. She gets things done, but she does not seek the limelight. Indeed, she was a reluctant nominee for the Athena Award, but I convinced her that it would be good for the university if she let me nominate her.
She approaches the work with optimism, steadfastness, and kindness. When I first arrived at UH Hilo, she offered to show me the Hawaiian immersion pathway. We visited Pūnana Leo, Nāwahī, Ka Haka ʻUla and ʻImiloa. Thus, Ka Haka ʻUla and ʻImiloa were on my radar in greater detail than the other units on campus — good work! This invitation also identified Kaʻiu’s passion to me — the Hawaiian language revitalization movement, into which she pours her heart and soul, even making time to answer the occasional ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi question from her boss.
At a time when some families think their student will do better to seek education off island, Kaʻiu stands as a sterling example of a locally educated and invested professional in our community. She is indeed a great leader.
-First posted at UH Hilo Stories.