IAFOR > The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment – Hawaii (IICSEEHawaii) > IICSEEHawaii2021 > Speakers

Speakers

The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment – Hawaii (IICSEEHawaii) is a multidisciplinary conference held concurrently with The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii (IICEHawaii). Keynote, Featured and Spotlight Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. Registration for either of these conferences permits attendance in both.

This page provides information about presenters. For details of presentations and other programming, please visit the Programme page.

Keynote Speakers

  • Som Naidu
    Som Naidu
    University of the South Pacific, Fiji
  • Christine R. Yano
    Christine R. Yano
    University of Hawai`i, USA
  • Lowell Sheppard
    Lowell Sheppard
    Pacific Solo & HOPE International Development Agency Japan

Featured Speakers

  • Amber Strong Makaiau
    Amber Strong Makaiau
    University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States
  • Beth H. Tillinghast
    Beth H. Tillinghast
    University of Hawaii, United States
  • Veronica Howard
    Veronica Howard
    University of Alaska Anchorage, United States
  • Michael Menchaca
    Michael Menchaca
    University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
  • Ariana Eichelberger
    Ariana Eichelberger
    University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States
  • Peter Leong
    Peter Leong
    University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
  • Daniel Hoffman
    Daniel Hoffman
    University of Hawaii at Mānoa, United States
  • Paul McKimmy
    Paul McKimmy
    University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States
  • Billy Meinke-Lau
    Billy Meinke-Lau
    University of Hawai'i, United States
  • Mary Therese Perez Hattori
    Mary Therese Perez Hattori
    East West Center, United States
  • Sela V. Panapasa
    Sela V. Panapasa
    University of Michigan, USA
  • James W. McNally
    James W. McNally
    University of Michigan, USA & NACDA Program on Aging

Past Speakers

View details of speakers at past IICSEEHawaii conferences via the links below.

IICSEEHawaii2020 IICSEEHawaii2019 IICSEEHawaii2018
IICSEEHawaii2017
Som Naidu
University of the South Pacific, Fiji

Biography

Som Naidu is currently Pro-Vice Chancellor and Director, Center for Flexible Learning, at the University of the South Pacific. He has previously served in a variety of roles in the enhancement of learning and teaching at several Australian universities. Som Naidu possesses doctoral qualifications in Educational Technology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. A former president of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, Som has served as executive editor of its journal Distance Education since 1997. In May 2014 the Open University of Sri Lanka awarded Som Naidu a D.Litt. (Honoris Causa), in recognition of his extensive contribution to the field of open, flexible, distance and e-learning both regionally and internationally. In addition, in July 2020, Advance Higher Education, UK, admitted Som Naidu as Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for his commitment, contribution and strategic leadership in the scholarship of learning and teaching.

Keynote Presentation (2021) | Recalibrating Educational and Institutional Choreographies to Lead Learning for Tomorrow
Christine R. Yano
University of Hawai`i, USA

Biography

Christine R. Yano, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai`i, has conducted research on Japan and Japanese Americans with a focus on popular culture. Beginning in March 2020 she serves as the President of the Association for Asian Studies. Her publications include Tears of Longing: Nostalgia and the Nation in Japanese Popular Song (Harvard, 2002), Crowning the Nice Girl; Gender, Ethnicity, and Culture in Hawaii’s Cherry Blossom Festival (Hawaii, 2006), Airborne Dreams: “Nisei” Stewardesses and Pan American World Airways (Duke, 2011), and Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty and its Trek Across the Pacific (Duke, 2013). She has also co-edited a number of volumes: Modern Girls on the Go: Gender, Mobility, and Labor in Contemporary Japan with Alisa Freedman and Laura Miller (Stanford, 2013), Making Waves: Travelling Musics in Hawai`i, Asia, and the Pacific with Fred Lau (Hawaii, 2018), and Straight A’s: Asian American College Students in Their Own Words with Neal Akatsuka (Duke, 2018).

Keynote Presentation (2021) | Critical Empathy: The Role of Education Amidst Xenophobic Pandemonium
Lowell Sheppard
Pacific Solo & HOPE International Development Agency Japan

Biography

Rookie Sailor Lowell Sheppard is about to embark on the journey of a lifetime – sailing solo across the Pacific Ocean, through the Garbage Patch, via a place he is calling Nemo North and onwards to see his mother who is isolated in a Canadian Care Facility.

Lowell Sheppard is an author, speaker, social entrepreneur, former minister, Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, husband, father, long-distance cyclist, and aspiring sailor. Lowell has spent his entire adult life working with established non-government organisations (also known as non-profit societies) and in several NGO start-ups. As Founder of HOPE International Development Agency Japan and Asia Pacific twenty years ago, Lowell has seen the growth of HOPE to be in the top 2% of charitable organisations in Japan with the coveted “nintei” certified tax-deductible status.

Lowell has served for the last twenty years as an informal advisor to companies and boards in the area of ethical decision making and thought leadership with a focus on community legacy. He has dedicated much of his life to social and environmental improvement projects.

Lowell’s PACIFIC SOLO expedition is under the umbrella of Navigate22, a sustainability and education consultancy. Pacific Solo will serve as a motif for exploration, sustainability, goal setting, and achievement.

Keynote Presentation (2021) | Resilience: One Man’s Journey Across the World
Amber Strong Makaiau
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States

Biography

Dr Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) College of Education Institute for Teacher Education Secondary Program, the Director of the Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center, and the Director of Curriculum and Research at the UHM Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. She has a BA in Psychology and Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a Masters in Education and Teaching from UHM, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from UHM. She is a dedicated practitioner of philosophy for children of Hawai'i who achieved National Board Certification while teaching secondary social studies in the Hawaii State Department of Education for over ten years. She is also an award-winning educator who achieved the Hawaii International Education Week Honolulu Advertiser 2004 Outstanding Global Educator Award, the 2005 Oceanic Outstanding Educator Award, the 2011 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching, the 2016 C3 Teachers Inquiry Design Model Challenge Award, and the 2017 National Council for the Social Studies College and University Faculty Assembly Kipchoge Neftali Kirkland Social Justice Paper Award. Her current projects apply progressive, multicultural, culturally responsive, social justice, and democratic approaches to education to the creation of a better future society. This includes a brand new Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy MEd Interdisciplinary Education, Curriculum Studies Program at UHM.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Beth H. Tillinghast
University of Hawaii, United States

Biography

Dr Beth H. Tillinghast has a PhD in Learning Design and Technology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also holds an MS in Library Science and an MA in Educational Technology. She has worked in education for over four decades, living and working in countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. She has recently retired from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Library as a librarian working in the area of scholarly communication. Beth has been an Open Education Group Research Fellow, and her research interests include areas of open educational practices with a focus on Open Access and Open Educational Resources.

Panel Presentation (2021) | The Development, Use, and Exploration of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education
Veronica Howard
University of Alaska Anchorage, United States

Biography

Dr Veronica Howard is an associate professor of Psychology, and co-coordinator of the Textbook Affordability Committee and Alaska Open Education Initiative at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Their research and service interests include open educational resources, evaluating pedagogical interventions, the intersection of technology and education, and organizational behavior management. As a first-generation college student, Veronica believes passionately that openly licensed and free-to-access course materials, combined with engaged teaching and mentorship, are critical for the success of historically underserved students in higher education. Veronica has been an OpenEd Group OER Research Fellow and has completed the Harvard CopyrightX program.

Panel Presentation (2021) | The Development, Use, and Exploration of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education
Michael Menchaca
University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA

Biography

Michael Menchaca is chair of the Department of Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He specializes in distance education, and has designed, implemented, and coordinated online and hybrid programs for over 20 years. He serves as editor for the IAFOR Journal of Education: Technologies and Education Special Edition. He was an IT specialist for many years in the public and private sector. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of online learning, technology integration, and social justice with technology.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Ariana Eichelberger
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States

Biography

Ariana Eichelberger is an Associate Specialist and Instructional Designer in the University of Hawai'i at Manoa’s College of Education. Ari manages the Instructional Support Group of the College and coordinates the College’s faculty professional development program. As a faculty member of the Department of Learning Design and Technology, Ari teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in instructional design and technology integration. She is also an instructional designer with the COE's Distance Course Design and Consulting group (DCDC).

Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Peter Leong
University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States

Biography

Dr Peter Leong is an Associate Professor with the Department of Learning Design & Technology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He has extensive experience in the development and delivery of online courses and distance education. Dr Leong currently serves on the Executive Board of the International Council of Educational Media and the Teaching, Colleges & Community (TCC) conference advisory panel. His research interests include student satisfaction with online learning, faculty support for technology integration, technologies for distance education and teaching and learning in virtual worlds.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Daniel Hoffman
University of Hawaii at Mānoa, United States

Biography

Daniel L. Hoffman is an Assistant Professor of Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Dan earned his doctorate in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University. His research focuses on the design of interactive experiences and their impact on learning and engagement. This interdisciplinary work is situated at the intersection of cognitive science, computer science, and learning science. He is a graduate of the New York City Teaching Fellows program and has designed and evaluated educational software for Intel and the Games for Learning Institute.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Paul McKimmy
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, United States

Biography

Paul McKimmy is Director of Technology and Distance Programs at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa’s College of Education and a faculty Specialist in Learning Design and Technology. Dr McKimmy oversees instructional and technical support teams, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses, works with faculty to develop online and hybrid programs and is responsible for supporting instructional technology within the College. Dr McKimmy received his bachelors in Business and Computer Science at Hope College and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Billy Meinke-Lau
University of Hawai'i, United States

Biography

Billy Meinke-Lau is the Open Educational Resources (OER) Technologist for the University of Hawaii, supporting a system-wide effort to leverage OER for student success, equity, and cost reduction. Billy completed an MEd in educational technology from UH Manoa and worked for Creative Commons before taking his current leadership role with UH. He is also a doctoral student of Political Science, investigating the politics of collaborative scholarship in higher education. He lives in Honolulu with his family.

Panel Presentation (2021) | The Development, Use, and Exploration of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education
Mary Therese Perez Hattori
East West Center, United States

Biography

Mary Therese Perez Hattori is a Scholarship Program Specialist with the East-West Center’s Education Program. Prior to that, she served as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Chaminade University from 2017-2019 and was Outreach Director for the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa from 2015-2017 and from 2002-2015, was a faculty member at Kapi’olani Community College where as the Coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology.

Dr Hattori holds a BEd and Professional Diploma in Secondary Social Studies with a concentration in Pacific Islands History, an MEd in Educational Technology, and an EdD in Professional Educational Practice from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

A native Chamoru of Guåhan (Guam), she is a community organizer and advocate for Pacific islanders in Hawai'i, co-organizer of cultural events such as the Annual Cultural Animation Film Festival, the Annual Celebrate Micronesia Festival, Micronesian Women's Summit, and Oceania on the Reel, and teacher/mentor of students in Pacific Studies, Learning Design & Technology, and the UHM & San Francisco State University Educational Doctorate programs which are part of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate. She is also an author, poet, public speaker, and philanthropist.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Sela V. Panapasa
University of Michigan, USA

Biography

Dr Sela V. Panapasa studies family support and intergenerational exchanges among aged Pacific Islanders living in the US and Pacific region. Her work examines changes in elderly living arrangements and headship status in response to demographic and socioeconomic change. Her interests include family demography, race and ethnicity, measuring health disparities and comparative studies.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience

Previous Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | Independence & Interdependence
Keynote Presentation (2018) | Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population
James W. McNally
University of Michigan, USA & NACDA Program on Aging

Biography

James W. McNally is the Director of the NACDA Program on Aging, a data archive containing over 1,500 studies related to health and the aging lifecourse. He currently does methodological research on the improvement and enhancement of secondary research data and has been cited as an expert authority on data imputation. Dr McNally has directed the NACDA Program on Aging since 1998 and has seen the archive significantly increase its holdings with a growing collection of seminal studies on the aging lifecourse, health, retirement and international aspects of aging. He has spent much of his career addressing methodological issues with a specific focus on specialized application of incomplete or deficient data and the enhancement of secondary data for research applications. James W. McNally has also worked extensively on issues related to international aging and changing perspectives on the role of family support in the later stages of the aging lifecourse.

Dr James W. McNally is a Vice-President of IAFOR. He is Chair of the Social Sciences & Sustainability division of the International Academic Advisory Board.

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience

Previous Presentations

Featured Presentation (2017) | Methodologies for the Collection of Comparative Community Level Public Health Data: Obtaining Powerful and Statistically Meaningful Findings for Small Populations
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