Hawai‘i Business Magazine names Ka‘iu Kimura as honoree in the publication’s 11th Annual “20 for the Next 20”

• Hawai‘i Business Magazine honors 20 people each year who they believe will have an important and positive impact on Hawai‘i over the next two decades.
• Ka‘iu Kimura is being honored for her work as director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center at UH Hilo, where she is bringing Maunakea to the forefront through educational opportunities that couple the mountain’s culture and history with astronomy.

Hawai‘i Business Magazine has named Ka‘iu Kimura a member of the publication’s 11th Annual “20 for the Next 20” cohort. Kimura is executive director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. She is being honored for bringing Maunakea to the forefront through educational opportunities that couple the mountain’s culture and history with astronomy.

Hawai‘i Business Magazine honors 20 people each year who they believe will have an important and positive impact on Hawai‘i over the next two decades. “They have already proven themselves by their accomplishments, intelligence, charisma, leadership and passion, but we expect even more from them in the future,” states the award description on the magazine’s website.

From the magazine’s profile on Kimura:

‘Imiloa has international partnerships with science centers, museums and research institutions that seek to bring indigenous worldviews and scientific research together, Kimura says. “We have a lot of experience and lessons to share (about) the value of engaging with indigenous communities and advancing indigenous knowledge.”

At the core of her work as director of ‘Imiloa in Hilo is bringing Mauna Kea to the forefront through educational opportunities that couple the mountain’s culture and history with astronomy, she says.

When asked if she is leading conversations to break down age-old barriers and move forward, Kimura defers to ‘Imiloa’s impact as a whole. “I feel like we’re a hub, a place where conversations are free to happen and people come willing and ready to actively engage and share.”

Ann Botticelli, friend and mentor to Kimura and senior VP for corporate communications and public affairs at Hawaiian Airlines, says, “Kimura doesn’t talk about what she thinks. She listens and gathers and tries to understand all the different perspectives so she can put them together in a way that finds the path forward.”

Kimura grew up in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island, where she remembers the Keck and the Canada France Hawaii telescopes as part of the community. She was asked to participate in planning for ‘Imiloa while a Hawaiian language graduate student at UH Hilo.

“I felt a sense of responsibility to help bring many stories together into building the center so our community could learn and engage and know about the significance of Mauna Kea from the various parts of our community.”

Read the full profile at Hawai‘i Business Magazine.