Meet The Practitioners for MoveMEANT Destination 2026

Nāmomi McCorriston

Kumu Nāmomi McCorriston is Kawaikini's Executive Director. She taught preschool at Punana Leo o Kaua'i for four years, and grades K-2 at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Kapa'a for three years. Nāmomi was part of the founding Kumu of Kawaikini NCPCS. Kumu Namomi currently holds a BA degree in Hawaiian Studies – ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as well as her Elementary Teaching License from Brigham Young University Hawai'i, where she served as the President of the Hawaiian Club. Kumu Nāmomi graduated from Chaminade University with a master's degree in educational leadership and a certification from Kaho'iwai. She is a dedicated educator with a passion for teaching Hawaiian culture and language. Kumu Nāmomi is fluent in 'Õlelo Hawai'i. She has served two terms on Kawaikini's Governing Board. Nāmomi is a mother of four children and has two grandchildren. Kumu Nāmomi enjoys spending time with family, traveling, swimming, and taking walks near the ocean.

For years her 'ohana had the Kuleana of preserving the 'ike of making pa'akai (Hawaiian Salt) at Hanapēpē, Kaua'i.  She has had the privilege of learning from her Uncle Frank Santos and his children the process, tools, and values of working in the salt beds.  The practice of making pa'akai takes hard work and patience.  Being able to understand and observe the environment takes years of work and practice.  They were taught that pa'akai is never to be sold but given with aloha.  It is considered a great blessing to be a recipient of Hanapēpē pa'akai.  Theycontinues to farm and produce pa'aka'i, it is a kuleana that has been passed down from their kūpuna. 

Mālia ʻAlohilani Kuala Rogers

Mālia ʻAlohilani Kuala Rogers was born on Oʻahu and raised on the South Side of Kauaʻi, and currently lives in Keālia. ʻAlohilani has been a teacher at Kawaikini Public Charter School in Puhi since the school opened in 2008.  Prior to working at Kawaikini, she was a teacher in the D.O.E. Hawaiian Immersion Program at Kapaʻa Elementary and Kapaʻa Middle Schools for 16 years. ʻAlohilani was on the Board of Directors of ʻAha Pūnana Leo (2002-2023) and currently sits on the Boards of Mālama Māhāʻulepū and Namahana Charter School. 

Shane “Maka” Herrod

Shane “Maka” Herrod enjoys teaching, dancing, choreography, composing and playing music. He has studied with ‘Iwalani Tseu, John Naʻone, Leimomi Ho, Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza, Nathan Kalama, Lani Kalama and completed the traditional rituals of ‘ūniki under Puna Kalama-Dawson.

Maka established Nā Hui O Kamakaokalani in 1992.  A hālau hula which focuses on perpetuating the gift of dance, language, music, stories of old and new, the importance of Hawaiian values and the rich history of Hawai`i. In 1996, he along with three other Kauaʻi Kumu Hula created Hui O Kalamaola; four hālau combined to fulfill the beautiful manaʻo of “Aloha kekahi i kekahi”.

His hālau has participated in various festivals, events and hula competitions throughout Hawai`i, the Continent and Japan.  Maka is the Executive Director of the Māile Foundation that offers workshops, lectures and events annually on Kauaʻi.  He is also responsible for the Kaua’i Mokihana Festivals, which is one of the longest running seven-day Hawaiian event held each year in September.

Peleke Flores

Peleke Flores is a Kauaʻi-based cultural practitioner, environmental steward, and community leader committed to the restoration and perpetuation of Native Hawaiian land, water, and food systems. Born in Hilo and raised in the Hanapēpē, Waimea, and Makaweli ahupuaʻa, he is deeply rooted in the places and communities he serves. After graduating from Waimea High School in 2001, Peleke pursued a double degree in Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Peleke spent eight and a half years as Kū Hou Kuapā Project Manager and Caretaker at Paepae o Heʻeia, where he led loko iʻa restoration, community engagement, and volunteer stewardship grounded in traditional Hawaiian aquaculture practices. In 2018, he returned home to Kauaʻi to serve as Project Manager for Mālama Hulēʻia, and currently holds the roles of Director of Community Engagement, Field Operations & Cultural Resources Manager.

In this capacity, Peleke labors tirelessly to remove invasive mangrove along the Hulēʻia River and surrounding Alakoko Fishpond, restoring native species and revitalizing one of Hawaiʻi’s most significant ancestral sites. He leads hands-on trainings and workshops for volunteers, schools, and community groups focused on the restoration of ancient Hawaiian sites and the sustainable practices that supported a vibrant, cooperative pre-contact society.

“Our kuleana,” Peleke shares, “is to restore, repair, educate, maintain, sustain, and uplift the brilliant work of our ancestors—and to show how we can carry it forward in our lives today using this 800-year-old fishpond.