Our Board
Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board Members
The Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board’s 17 members represent key education stakeholder groups, which include:
- Six licensed teachers, one of whom must be from a Charter School
- Three administrators
- State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education Chairperson or designee
- State Superintendent of Schools or designee
- Dean of the College of Education (COE) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa or designee from member institutions of the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee
- Two members of the public
- Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) representative
- Native Hawaiian Education Council (NHEC) Chairperson or designee
- Student Teacher, non-voting member from the University of Hawaiʻi system teacher preparation program
Licensed Teachers
DALE MATSUURA, HTSB VICE CHAIRPERSON, is a Student Services Coordinator at Roosevelt High School with over 22 years of experience within the Department of Education (DOE) as a Special Education teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and Student Services Coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, a post-baccalaureate, and a master’s degree in Special Education. Dale currently holds positions on the Joint DOE / Special Education Committee and Special Education Advisory Council. Dale believes that having licensed and qualified teachers in every classroom will lead to increased teacher retention and successful classrooms.
LOGAN OKITA is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 20 years of experience with the Department of Education. After teaching kindergarten through grade four for 15 years, she is a Curriculum Coordinator and RTI Coach at Nimitz Elementary School on Oʻahu. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Learning from Pacific University (Oregon) and a Master’s in Education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Logan believes that teacher licensure can be attainable while maintaining professional standards to ensure all of Hawaiʻi’s students have access to a high quality education.
BRAD KUSUNOKI is the Student Services Coordinator at Alvah A. Scott Elementary, bringing over 18 years of experience with the Hawaii Department of Education. A former longtime school counselor, Brad remains a dedicated advocate for school counseling programs that drive student success. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
LEAH AIWOHI is a veteran educator with 37 years of service in Hawaiʻi’s public schools, with teaching experience spanning the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Currently serving as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator while actively teaching media production, computer science, and STEM, she brings a dynamic, multi-level perspective to educational leadership and technology integration.A two-time Kauaʻi Teacher of the Year (2002 and 2025), Leah’s career highlights include national honors as a National DARE Educator, a 2026 GenerationAI Luminary Awardee, a PBS All-Star Digital Innovator, a CSTA Impact Fellow, and a Responsible AI Fellow. Her extensive classroom experience and commitment to innovative instruction inform her service on the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board, where she advocates for rigorous standards, equity, and strong support for Hawaiʻi's educators.
Deeply rooted in the Kauaʻi community, Leah remains motivated by her lifelong love for the island and a personal commitment to empowering local students with the skills and confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
JUDITH ELISE HANNIGAN is an English teacher and Academy Coordinator at Kea'au High School and has served with the DOE for 14 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with a concentration in English and US History, a post-baccalaureate teaching certification, and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She also served as the 2026 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year. Elise is dedicated to maintaining high professional standards while advocating for equitable education for all students, particularly those in rural and outer island schools.JAMES MYERS
Educational Officers
GARY KANAMORI is a proud graduate of Maui public schools who has dedicated his career to prioritizing people, building effective school systems, and fostering community engagement. He currently serves as the Principal of Pukalani Elementary School.With over 16 years of educational experience, Gary’s career spans from the classroom to school administration. He began as an elementary teacher at Pearl City Highlands, pioneering a nationally recognized robotics program, before serving as Vice-Principal at Pearl City High and Highlands Intermediate. As Principal of Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary, he drove academic growth and led critical recovery efforts following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.
Gary serves on the Hawaii Principal Advisory Council and was a 2024 Tokioka "Excellence in School Leadership" Award nominee. He holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a Master's in Educational Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
DR. KOMAREY MOSS is the Principal of Moanalua Middle School, where she led the school to achieve the Association for Middle Level Education School of Distinction and the Purple Star Norbert Award. She is committed to academic excellence, oversees core functions, and fosters a culture of professional growth and development among educators. Previously, she served as the Principal of Red Hill Elementary. In that role, she successfully guided a military-impacted school through the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a targeted distance learning program and aggressively advocated for her students, staff, and community during the November 2021 Red Hill water contamination crisis.Her extensive administrative and teaching career includes serving as Vice Principal at Mililani High School and District Educational Specialist for the North Central District. Additionally, she has experience as a Distance Learning Instructor for Kamehameha Schools and Adjunct Biology Professor at Hawaii Pacific University. A dedicated educational leader, she was a 2023 nominee for the Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award and a 2013 recipient of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for innovation in online education. Dr. Moss also possesses extensive grant experience, writing and managing funds for programs through the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Zilber Family Foundation, and Title IV.
Dr. Moss holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands, a Master of Education from Chaminade University, and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Hawaii Pacific University.
KRISTEN LUM BRUMMEL is an Educational Specialist that brings twenty-five years of dedicated service to Hawaiʻi’s public education system as a classroom teacher, instructional mentor, presenter, and educational specialist. In her current role leading the Hawaiʻi Teacher Induction Center, she oversees statewide systems that support beginning teachers, mentors, and complex-area induction teams. She also designs and facilitates programming for Hawaiʻi’s Teachers of the Year.
A National Board Certified Teacher since 2009 and the 2011 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year, Kristen has served on numerous statewide fellowships, workgroups, committees, and advisory boards. Throughout her career, she has focused on elevating student success, strengthening teacher efficacy and effectiveness, amplifying teacher voice, and fostering collaborative professional communities across the state. Kristen’s work is inspired by her two children, Daniel and Grace, whose experiences in Hawaiʻi’s public schools remind her daily of the promise and necessity of high-quality education for every student.
Public Members
DR. JONATHAN GILLENTINE, HTSB CHAIRPERSON, is a National Board Certified Teacher and, in 2017, retired as a Hawaiʻi public school teacher after 36 years of service. He is a four-time graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His most recent classroom experience was at Reverend Benjamin Parker School, where he was a preschool teacher in an inclusive setting for nearly 20 years. During his time at the school, he grew to love supporting his peers in strengthening their teaching by facilitating professional development in Early Childhood Education. From 2003 to 2015, he conducted 15 courses. Jonathan was a teacher representative on Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board from 2004-2010, serving as its chair for four years. In 2014, he was the first recipient of the teacher leadership licensure field. He has also received three national teaching awards and three teacher fellowships. Jonathan was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2017. 
DAPHNE OKUNAGA is an educator with nearly 20 years of secondary teaching experience in mathematics and business and currently serves as an Instructional Specialist with Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for Education. She holds an M.Ed., an MBA, and an HTSB Secondary Mathematics license, and has led CTE math integration, academy development, statewide curriculum and trainer work. Daphne led the International Business & Design Academy to earn NCAC’s Model Academy With Distinction and was named the 2022 National Career Academy Teacher of the Year and champions public education as a Patsy T. Mink Leadership Alliance alumna and a Pacific Century Fellow. Her awards include the 2017 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and 2023 Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi Teacher of the Year. Daphne is committed to strengthening career pathways and college readiness to ensure Hawaiʻi students graduate prepared for success.
Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) Representative
DEANNA D’OLIER is the Executive Director-Elect and currently serves as the Associate Director of the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS). With over two decades of experience in education—spanning both teaching and administrative roles—she plays a pivotal role in creating and organizing professional development programs and oversees the accreditation and licensing processes for private schools across Hawai‘i. Deanna holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications from New York University and a master’s degree in Private School Leadership from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. A native of Puerto Rico, she moved to Oʻahu in 2002, where she resides with her husband and two daughters.Ex Officio Members
ROY TAKUMI (Kahele Dukelow, DESIGNEE) was born and raised in Honolulu, where he attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School, Kawananakoa Middle School, and McKinley High School. After graduating from high school, he joined the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard and then attended Leeward Community College while working full-time at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as a laborer. He later earned his Bachelor of Education from Long Island University and Master of Public Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Takumi served as a state representative from 1992 to 2022. In addition to holding other chairmanships, he spent 15 years – from 2002 to 2017 – as chair of the House Education Committee, and was the primary sponsor of the Reinventing Education Act of 2004, widely known as Act 51. It was also during his tenure as education chair that the Executive Office on Early Learning was established in 2012. Takumi was selected as vice chair of the Education Commission of the States from 2013-2017, and has also served as co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Education Standing Committee.
KEITH T. HAYASHI (Dr. Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, DESIGNEE) was appointed superintendent of the Hawai‘i State Department of Education, effective July 1, 2022. Hayashi’s 32-year career with the department spans the school, complex area, and state level. He has led Waipahu High School as principal since 2009, a position for which he has received numerous awards, including Hawai‘i High School Principal of the Year and the collegiate Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction. He is credited with pioneering the Early College program in Hawai‘i public schools and earned the distinction for Waipahu High as the state’s first nationally recognized wall-to-wall academy model school. Hayashi began his education career at Lehua Elementary as a teacher and went on to serve as a district resource teacher in Leeward O‘ahu. He also served as a Vice Principal and Principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels before becoming Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area Superintendent. At the state level, he served as interim Deputy State Superintendent and as interim State Superintendent in 2017. Hayashi earned his bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH-Mānoa). He also holds two Master of Education degrees — in Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Administration — from UH-Mānoa.
NATHAN MURATA (Dr. Jamie Simpson Steele, DESIGNEE) is Dean of the College of Education (COE) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH-Mānoa), effective January 1, 2018. He previously served as professor and graduate chair of the college’s Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS). Dr. Murata earned his Ph.D. in Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance from the Ohio State University. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Secondary Education and a certificate in Special Education from UH-Mānoa and taught Special Education as a Honolulu District Physical Education teacher. Murata also taught at Saint Louis School and was later hired as Director of its Athletics Department. Prior to being hired at UH-Mānoa, Dr. Murata was an Assistant Professor at Chaminade University’s College of Education and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo’s Department of Health and Human Performance. He then returned home to Hawaiʻi and was hired at COE in 1997 as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted and received tenure as an Associate Professor in 2001 and subsequently promoted to Professor in 2008. Murata held two separate terms as KRS department chair from 2004–2009 and again from 2013–2017, and served as interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2010–2012, when he provided oversight for the college’s academic affairs.
DR. MARK SUNG ALAPAKI LUKE (John Thatcher, DESIGNEE) is a Professor at Honolulu Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Alapaki teaches Hawaiian Studies, Geography, Curriculum Studies, and Hawaiian Language. Dr. Luke is an alumnus of the EdD Leadership and Innovation at NYU, and his research focused on increasing the Native Hawaiian Capacity at the University of Hawaiʻi. He is also a STEMS2 Master’s and Geography/Hawaiian Studies alumnus at UH Mānoa. Alapaki participated as an East-West Center Degree Fellow (2001-2003). He plants kalo (taro) in Kahana Valley on the island of Oʻahu and enjoys sharing the experience with his students, community groups, and international communities. He has worked with numerous private/public schools and community groups with Native Hawaiian Culture, instilling a sense of place and Native Hawaiian Culture/Language within their curriculum.