OED's Leadership

Nalani is committed to telling the OED story in a more illuminating way, and Kui Kauaʻi is an effort to build awareness for the true purpose of the OED—to create partnerships with like-minded people and institutions, with a goal of improving the quality of life on the island. The OED exists to solve problems, though the community may not be aware of the full scope of the office’s efforts and all the opportunities available. Shares Nalani, “It’s like a thread, stringing everything together, enabling people to come to one place for their myriad needs.”

The precursor to Kui Kauaʻi is Kupaʻa Kauaʻi, an online resource that is still available. When COVID-19 hit, the Kupaʻa Kauaʻi site was created to communicate that we were all in it together, with a focus on getting the island back on track. The visual branding features paddlers in a canoe going in the same direction, fighting against the big waves. Now with the community back on course, Kui Kauaʻi is about strengthening connections.

As Nalani puts it, “We’ve made it past the storm, and the idea is to sew everybody back together. Moving this way is a real softening. It’s like going from a straight determined face to a smile. It is like opening the doors of government—allowing people to see the aunties, and brothers, and sisters, and children of friends working for them.”

Nalani’s management style is unique. The first thing you do is hire the right people and let them go, always keeping your door open. There are nine people on staff at OED, and each person has two people on their team, eliminating isolated silos. Still like many government departments, OED speaks the language of data. Nalani wants to reach a wider community audience by broadening the vocabulary. “Our intent is to produce a cohesive perception of what the department does and the people who make things possible.”

Nalani first came to OED in 1994 specializing in tourism. After 10 years, she left to build Hoola Lahui Hawaii’s fitness program, a Native Hawaiian health organization. A call came from OED four years later, asking her to come back to help reinvigorate their tourism efforts. She moved up to managing director, and a year into Mayor Kawakami’s first term, she was asked to run the department.

Tourism has always been a part of Nalani’s life. While my tape recorder is running and her story unfolding for this piece, she casually mentions she has been dancing professionally since she was 8 years old! She began as a hula dancer, working at the Kauaʻi Surf Hotel for the Punua family. By 14, she started singing and dancing at Smith’s boats and Paradise Pacifica which became Smith’s Tropical Paradise, where you can still find her today. 

Nalani’s dad is William “King” Kaauwai, an entertainer who has performed all over the island.  The royal moniker is a name with a story about his trip to Japan, and Nalani was smiling ear to ear in its recounting. Like an Elvis in Hawaii movie, Bill met his wife, Nancy Higgins, on the beach at Coco Palms when she was visiting with her family. Bill sang at the former Tahiti Long House, now the Beach House, and was part of the Happy Hawaiians at Tahiti Nui. He had 17 brothers and sisters, so you can imagine how Nalani and her four siblings grew up—aunts and uncles were everywhere, and Nalani’s schooling was filled with cousins. In the 1970s the family did everything together, one car and shared rooms. Bill and one of his brothers were also in KPD for the full run, and Nalani shares how that always made her comfortable around local government.

Nalani’s husband, Pat Brun, is a golfer, cowboy and retired military. Nalani is also one seriously proud mother of daughter, Kamalani, who went to Kapaʻa High School and then Western Washington, graduating in 2017. Returning to the island, Kamalani has been a busy young lady—ghost writing several novels, working on the water, and even doing a stint with Hoola Lahui Hawaii, just like Mom. She worked with Rich Uhl and the Dev Island team, (part of an earlier Kui Kauaʻi story) learning coding and website building. Kamalani is now at Flowers Forever and quite involved with Pihana Ka Ikena, a Hawaiian Healing Arts group. Nalani does some work with Pihana Ka Ikena as well.

After so many years here, I still feel at a loss to pinpoint why this place is so special, beyond its natural beauty. Listening to Nalani’s story, I feel I have gotten just a little bit closer as to why Kauaʻi is so incredibly singular. Who Nalani is, and how she manages OED, is a direct reflection of her past and deep connection to community. I feel honored to have listened to her story and to share it with you.