Skip to main content

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai'i Foundation is pleased to announce the following new hires and staff changes. 

NEW HIRES

Kellie Ann Aki TakenakaKellie Ann Aki Takenaka has joined the development team as director of development for the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa College of Engineering (CoE). In this position, Kellie will nurture relationships with prospective donors and raise major gifts for the College from individuals, corporations and foundations. She will also engage CoE alumni and continue to build relationships and philanthropic support from this group with strong ties to the College.

Kellie was born and raised in Hawai‘i, and graduated from Punahou School.  She completed her undergraduate BA Honors and later her Bachelor of Civil Law at Balliol College at the University of Oxford, England.  She returned to the United States to complete her Juris Doctor from the University of California at Berkeley. Kellie has worked as an attorney at private law firms in the U.S., and through Volunteer Service Overseas, she worked in Addis Ababa for a year as fundraising and public relations officer for an Ethiopian charity. Most recently, Kellie was senior campaign executive at the University of Oxford where she focused on securing major gifts for Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences.  

Kimo KaiKimo Kai has joined the Foundation as associate director of scholarship development.  In this role he will support efforts to increase funds raised for student aid initiatives and serve all ten UH campuses as a supporting development officer. Kimo is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, and attended UH Mānoa before transferring to, and graduating from the University of San Francisco with a BA in Finance and a minor in Economics.

Kimo's past professional experiences include working at Charles Schwab in San Francisco and Chicago in various capacities such as equity sales trader, and being a partner/owner of a local real estate development and investment company.  More recently, Kimo worked at the State of Hawai‘i, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands as a project manager and special assistant to the chairman.

STAFF CHANGES

Margaret ShibaMargaret Shiba has accepted the newly created position of director of institutional advancement at 'Imiloa Astronomy Center. In this new role, she will work closely with Executive Director Ka'iu Kimura on enhancing the funding base for this education and outreach center, which owes its founding vision to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.  'Imiloa has grown significantly since its opening on the UH Hilo campus in 2006. Margaret will assist the center in addressing the challenges and opportunities of its next phase of development, as it works to inspire a new generation of innovators and explorers.

Margaret has been with the UH Foundation for the past eight years, serving as the chief development officer for UH Hilo.  Before moving to the Big Island in 2003, she worked as a not-for-profit executive in the field of international education and with the Fulbright Program in New York City.  She earned a BA in anthropology at Bryn Mawr College and a master’s degree in East Asian/Regional Studies at Harvard University.

Kristi BatesKristi Bates has accepted the position of director of development for UH Mānoa. In this new role she will be working to secure major gifts and steward donor relationships for the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, and the UH Mānoa Library. Kristi has been with the UH Foundation since 2007 and has served as associate director of development for the College of Engineering and as director of development for the UH Cancer Center.

A proud alumna, Kristi earned a BA in Communications at UH Mānoa, and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management at the UH Shidler College of Business. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2007, Kristi worked at the School of Travel Industry Management as a special projects coordinator.

To learn about career opportunities at the UH Foundation, please visit http://www.uhfoundation.org/about-employment

# # #

The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.