Board of directors
SERINA KOESTER / President
Serina Koester is a multi-disciplinary artist and mover spanning various genres including Samba, Capoeira Angola, Afro-Brazilian, Hip Hop, and Filipino Folkloric dance, and is currently an active member of Ka Pā Hula o La’akea Halau Hula.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Serina has fronted musical groups as a vocalist and percussionist across various collaborative projects. She is the Co-Founder of a non-profit experimental art and music organization, Dissonant Works, which not only fosters creative exploration and collaboration, but also provides a venue where ideas can be exchanged and ultimately preserved in her hometown of St. Louis.
As a painter and graphic designer, Serina’s work has appeared in gallery shows across the United States, in the Oakland-based magazine, Kitchen Sink, and in the muralist collection Painting the Streets: Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion.
Serina now serves as the interim Board President for Dancers Unlimited where she melds over twenty years of professional experience in Marketing, Design, and Creative Operations with her own artistry towards her lifetime commitment to supporting the visual and performing arts.
TAMMY BITANGA / Treasurer
Tammy Bitanga is part of Hoʻōla Nā Pua’s Team as Director of Community Engagement. Tammy offers insight and expertise that can only come from being a survivor of childhood sexual exploitation. She infuses her boundless energy into organizing community awareness events and lends her experience from her own healing journey to the role of advocate to other victims and survivors. Tammy’s previous role as Volunteer Coordinator at Pearl Haven, Specialize Residential Treatment Campus, helped join the community to the volunteer opportunities.
Tammy’s life’s story is about rising out of the circumstances of early childhood abuse that led to being in “the system,” becoming a chronic runaway, victimization, and utter despair. Her testimony highlights the need for advocacy and mentoring for trafficking victims who desperately need safe adults in their life to guide them to healing and hope for a bright future.
In addition to community outreach to ensure victims|survivor’s needs are met, she works alongside local law enforcement to encourage the victim centered approach and aid in supporting survivors. This helps to serve as a bridge between both entities.
Whether on stage as a powerful speaker, behind the scenes as an event organizer, or working with survivors, her leadership is evident and inspiring.
Sylvie Lam / Board Member
Sylvie Lam is an environmental and STEM educator in New York City who has worked in inclusive learning spaces and as an educational consultant for organizations including the Billion Oyster Project. A graduate of Vassar College, her doctoral field research on ecological restoration and weapons testing in the Marshall Islands at the City University of New York Graduate Center was funded by the National Science Foundation. Becoming a parent inspired her to work with youth and deepen her engagement with Native Hawaiian stewardship. She is currently working on an educational project on oyster and loko iʻa restoration on Oʻahu under the guidance of community leaders. Sylvie has family roots on Oʻahu reaching back to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.