Nā keiki uneune māmane o Kula.

FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sara Tekula is a longtime Maui community organizer and environmental advocate with more than 25 years of experience in ecological programming, public engagement, and nonprofit leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and serves on the faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. As the founding Executive Director of the Kula Community Watershed Alliance, Sara leads the vision, strategy, and coordination behind KCWA’s community-driven approach to restoring the Kula Fire burn scar and strengthening wildfire resilience across the Waiakoa watershed. She oversees multi-agency partnerships, complex grant portfolios, landowner engagement, ecological planning, and the alignment of field crews, contractors, volunteers, and community leaders toward shared watershed goals. She is also the co-founder of Haleakalā Biochar, where she advances circular solutions that transform invasive fire fuels into soil-building amendments that support ecosystem recovery. Since 2005, Sara has helped steward lands in Upper Kula and continues to guide large-scale restoration efforts that center local knowledge, collaboration, and long-term ecological care. She is a National Fire Protection Association-certified Home Ignition Zone Assessor, a FEMA-trained Incident Command specialist, and has certifications in Tropical Forest Landscapes from the Yale School of the Environment.

PROJECT MANAGER

Joe Imhoff is a longtime conservation practitioner and community organizer on Maui with more than 15 years of experience in habitat restoration, invasive species management, and wildfire resilience work. Originally from the Midwest and rooted in Kula since 2005, he brings a deep commitment to stewarding Maui’s working lands and rural communities. His background includes field leadership in native forest restoration, fuels reduction, landowner coordination, and community-based conservation across Haleakalā’s slopes. Joe has worked on projects ranging from high-angle invasive removal to large-scale reforestation, and he has contributed to landscape-level planning efforts with Skyline Conservation Initiative. He also serves as President of Haleakalā Biochar, where he helps transform invasive hardwoods into soil-building amendments that support ecosystem recovery. As KCWA’s Project Manager, Joe oversees on-the-ground implementation across the Kula Fire burn scar and wider Waiakoa watershed—working closely with landowners, field crews, and partners to restore native ecosystems and strengthen wildfire resilience.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR (KUPU)

Elly was born and raised on Maui and holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Air, Water, and Health from the University of Utah. A graduate of Seabury Hall, she also studied abroad at Kingston University in London and brings a strong background in sustainability, environmental education, and community engagement. As KCWA’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Elly is passionate about reconnecting with her home island through hands-on restoration and climate resilience work. She and her family live at the edge of the 2023 Kula Fire burn scar.

RESTORATION TECHNICIAN (KUPU)

La'a was born and raised on the North Shore of Oʻahu and Waiohuli, Maui, and is a Hawaiian Studies graduate from the University of Hawai‘i – Windward Community College. With hands-on experience in natural resource stewardship, habitat restoration, and invasive species management, he is dedicated to caring for ʻāina and protecting Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems. As a Restoration Technician, he applies both traditional knowledge and practical conservation skills in the field to clear invasives, replant natives, and strengthen Kula’s habitat against fire.

GIS CONSULTANT

Darla White is a longtime Maui resident, marine ecologist, and GIS specialist with more than 20 years of experience in conservation and resource management across Hawaiʻi. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and a Master of Science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, along with a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Science from Oregon State University. Her work spans government, consulting, NGOs, and academic partnerships, with a focus on using GIS to translate complex spatial data into clear, actionable insights. Darla has applied her mapping expertise to support fisheries and coral reef management, renewable energy planning, and disaster risk reduction throughout the islands. As KCWA’s GIS Analyst—and a former resident of the affected neighborhood—she brings both technical depth and personal commitment to advancing restoration and wildfire resilience across the Kula Fire burn scar and wider Waiakoa watershed.

RESTORATION TECHNICIAN (KUPU)

Bio to come