Driving the Future of Food Innovation
Event Speakers
Quick Links: ʻĀnela Akana, Poni Askew, Naomi Bluesummers, Annalisa Burgos, Michael Burke, Catherine Chan, Rick Cohen, Lou Cooperhouse, Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Lyle Fujikawa, Matthew Greenbaum, Scott Halpern, T. Karen Hanada, Meli James, Wanelle Kaneshiro-Erdmann, Wayne Layugan, Keoni Lee, Patricia Loui, Kimi Makaiau, Jared Nakama, Matthew Nguyen, Dr. Carlos Peñaloza, Amanda Shaw, Logan Shiroma, Brian Suzuki, Nina Ann Tanabe, James Kunane Tokioka, Susan Utsugi, Grant Verry, Sharon Wages, Dane K. Wicker, Dale Wright, Jina Wye, Denise Hayashi Yamaguchi, Hailey Zhou
ʻĀnela Akana
ʻĀnela Akana serves as the Manager of the new Food & Product Innovation Network (FPIN), supporting Hawaiʻi entrepreneurs in developing and scaling innovative locally made products. With over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, wholesale purchasing, inventory management, E-commerce management, retail and warehouse operations, ʻĀnela brings a deep understanding of both business strategy, hands-on execution, and product development.
Poni Askew
Born and raised in Wahiawā, Poni Askew is the co-founder of Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company, a value-added food business that transforms Hawaiʻi-grown ingredients into products celebrating local agriculture, creativity, and innovation. Her work is rooted in a belief that opportunity often exists where others see limitations—whether in overlooked produce, emerging entrepreneurs, or community-driven ideas. As Director of Economic and Business Resilience at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Poni leads initiatives that support Native Hawaiian farmers, food producers, and entrepreneurs, helping strengthen Hawaiʻi’s food systems and build long-term economic resilience across the pae ʻāina.
Naomi Bluesummers
Naomi Bluesummers is Operations Coordinator at the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, where she helped translate the shared-use facility from vision to operational reality through its 2024 opening. She now guides daily operations and compliance navigation. With 15+ years of industry experience spanning consumer sensory testing, food safety, and manufacturing, she helps local entrepreneurs access workable pathways that move Hawaii-made products from concept to market, while supporting community awareness of food industry careers and Hawaiʻi-made products.
Annalisa Burgos
Annalisa Burgos anchors Hawaiʻi News Now’s Sunrise Weekends on K5 from 7am-9am, helping launch Hawaiʻi’s number one weekend morning show in January 2023. She also reports during the week and teaches journalism at the University of Hawaiʻi – Mānoa. She’s an international TV anchor and journalist with more than 22 years of experience covering news, business and lifestyle in Los Angeles, New York City, Manila, Singapore, and other cities across Asia and the United States. Annalisa was an anchor/reporter on KITV-4 and a 2019 Jefferson Fellow of the East-West Center. Before moving to Honolulu, Annalisa was news anchor and managing editor at the ABS-CBN News Channel, an international cable network based in the Philippines and broadcast worldwide as The Filipino Channel.
Michael Burke
Michael Burke serves as the Program Manager for the Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch. Since the branch was reestablished in 2019, he has led efforts to build the program from the ground up, including developing a food manufacturing oversight system that supports local producers in creating safe food products for export. Michael has spent nearly twenty years with the Department in roles focused on improving watershed health, addressing solid waste challenges, and now ensuring the safety of foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Though he is currently a townie, he grew up in Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, and still makes regular trips back to visit family.
Catherine Chan
Rick Cohen
Rick Cohen is the Measurement Standards Branch Program Manager in the Quality Assurance Division of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB). He oversees statewide inspections, licensing, and enforcement for commercial measurement devices, packaging, labeling, and product authenticity standards covering products such as coffee, macadamia nuts, māmaki tea, koa wood, raw ahi, and Hawaiʻi-made products.
Since joining DAB, Rick has testified before the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and worked closely with agricultural industries to educate stakeholders on regulatory changes. He helped oversee the 2024 economic study that contributed to strengthening Hawaiʻi geographic origin coffee labeling requirements to a minimum of 51% Hawaiʻi-grown coffee content beginning July 1, 2027.
Rick investigates fraudulent Hawaiʻi-made product claims, including mislabeling and product substitution cases, resulting in enforcement actions, product removals, and penalties for violations.
Originally from Massachusetts, Rick owned commercial businesses and served 15 years with the Town of Barnstable’s Weights and Measures Division as an inspector, trainer, and supervisor. He also worked 16 years with UPS before retiring in 2021 and continuing his commitment to consumer protection and fair marketplace practices in Hawaiʻi.
Lou Cooperhouse
Lou Cooperhouse is widely recognized as a global authority in food innovation and technology commercialization. His 40-year career in the food industry includes extensive entrepreneurial expertise leading cross-functional teams at numerous startups, as well as at multinational corporations including Nestlé, ConAgra, and Campbell’s. He is the Founder & CEO of BlueNalu, which is producing bluefin tuna toro in a brand-new way – one that is healthy, humane, sustainable, and consistently delicious. He previously founded and led the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, and has spent considerable time in the State of Hawaiʻi, where he’s consulted for the University of Hawaiʻi on the design and development of industry best practices to support our startup food ʻohana.
Senator Donovan Dela Cruz
Donovan M. Dela Cruz, is a state senator from District 17, which encompasses portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, portion of Waipiʻo Acres, Launani Valley, Wahiawa, and Whitmore Village. Senator Dela Cruz is Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. He also serves on boards or is a member of various organizations nationally and locally such as the National Council of Environmental Legislators and the Leeward Community College Culinary Institute Board just to name a few. Prior to becoming senator, he also served on the Honolulu City Council for eight years, serving as its Chair for three years, being the youngest chair in the history of the Council, at age 30. Senator Dela Cruz is a graduate of Leilehua High School and the University of Oregon where he earned a BA in Journalism and Communication Studies; Masters in Organization Leadership from Argosy University.
Lyle Fujikawa
As a member of the Business Development & Support Division (BDSD) at DBEDT, Lyle Fujikawa advises Hawaiʻi Made entrepreneurs and small business owners on their go-to-market activities and expansion. Lyle supports the planning and execution of the Annual Hawaiʻi Made Conference, and the re-development and promotion of the Hawaiʻi Made brand in support of entrepreneurs and small business. Leveraging his Japanese fluency and 14 years’ work experience in Tokyo, Lyle consults with Hawaiʻi Made companies on their export development and go-to-market activities. For the past 12 years he has supported Hawaiʻi Made companies at the Hankyu Hawaiʻi Fair in Osaka, growing the Hankyu – DBEDT partnership to achieve the goal of expanding sales of authentic Hawaiʻi Made brands and products throughout Japan.
Matthew Greenbaum
Matthew Greenbaum serves as Co-CEO of International Shoppes, helping lead one of the country’s most established family-owned airport retail companies. Under his leadership, the company has expanded operations across major U.S. airports while continuing to build strong relationships with airport partners, brands, and local communities. Matthew has extensive experience developing innovative retail concepts and collaborating with global, national, and local brands to deliver dynamic shopping experiences tailored to each market.
Scott Halpern
Scott Halpern is the Co-CEO of International Shoppes, a third-generation, family-owned airport retail and duty free company operating across major airports including JFK, Houston, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Hartford, with recently awarded contracts at HNL and OGG in Hawaiʻi. Scott has played a key role in the company’s expansion and is focused on elevating the traveler experience through innovative retail strategies, strong operational leadership, and community-driven partnerships. He has extensive experience working with global, national, and local brands to create unique airport retail programs tailored to each destination.
T. Karen Hanada
Karen serves as Director of Extended Learning and Workforce Development at UH Maui College. She oversees the Maui Food Innovation Center and is Co-Principal Investigator for the MBDA PaʻOihana entrepreneurship grant. She has worked at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Kapiolani CC’s Office of Continuing Education, and in a variety of staff and administrative positions at UH Maui College. As part of her graduate studies, she has written on globalization, innovation in higher ed, and multicultural perspectives.
Meli James
Meli James is the co-founder and general partner of Mana Up, a Hawaiʻi-based business accelerator program, venture capital fund and retail initiative designed to diversify the local economy and build the state’s next generation of consumer brands. She is also the president of the Hawaiʻi Venture Capital Association. Born and raised in Honolulu, Meli lived in Silicon Valley for more than 10 years where she co-founded numerous startups. Meli has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of five Women to Watch and as one of eight Women Leaders Who Are Disrupting Entrepreneurship. She serves on the board of UHA Health Insurance, board of regents for Chaminade University and is a 2020 Omidyar Fellow. Meli is a graduate of Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration.
Wanelle Kaneshiro-Erdmann
Wanelle Kaneshiro-Erdmann is the director of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education Workforce Development Branch, which supports the Department’s goal of empowering all graduates to be globally competitive and locally committed through industry-informed career and technical education programs and authentic work-based learning opportunities. Wanelle has 27 years of experience with the Department of Education and is a proud product of the Hawaiʻi public education system from elementary school to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Wayne Layugan
Wayne Layugan is a Program Manager dedicated to strengthening Hawaiʻi’s manufacturing sector through hands-on support, strategic planning, and advanced technology adoption. At HTDC INNOVATE Hawaiʻi, part of the NIST MEP National Network, he partners with local manufacturers to assess needs, implement process improvements, and integrate Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing solutions. Leveraging a background in electrical engineering and semiconductor manufacturing, Wayne helps companies modernize operations, navigate state and federal funding opportunities, and improve quality and compliance. His work centers on empowering Hawaiʻi’s makers and innovators to enhance competitiveness, resilience, and long-term growth.
Keoni Lee
Keoni Lee is Co-CEO of Hawaiʻi Investment Ready, a nonprofit that helps Hawaiʻi entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, clarify their capital needs, and connect with the right mix of partners and financing. He works across entrepreneurship, impact investing, and ecosystem building, with a focus on food systems, local production, and long-term economic resilience. Keoni brings practical experience helping founders navigate grants, loans, investment capital, and public/private support so they can grow in ways that benefit their communities and Hawaiʻi’s economy.
Patricia Loui
The Honorable Patricia Loui is an international business executive. President Obama nominated, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her, for the full-time board of U.S. Export-Import Bank which finances Made in America products. Loui led initiatives to grow American exports to Asia and a U.S. small business delegation to APEC 2015. On APEC 2011 Leaders Week executive committee and a United Nations planner, Loui chairs Omnitrak, a consultancy founded after serving as Bank of Hawaiʻi’s Chief Marketing Officer. Besides Hawaiʻi, Loui has exported branding services to Asia, serving Disney, General Motors, and luxury brands. A Northwestern and University of Hawaiʻi graduate and East West Center grantee, she has served as Treasurer of the 18-country Asia Foundation, PLUS ATM System, EWC’s Alumni Association, UH Foundation, and Chamber of Commerce.
Kimi Makaiau
Kimi Makaiau is a planner with UHCDC, where she leads planning and conceptual development initiatives across Hawaiʻi. She works with public, private, and community partners to support economic development, land use planning, and community resilience. Her work emphasizes stakeholder engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and applied learning opportunities that connect students with real-world projects.
Jared Nakama
Jared Nakama is the Director of Logistics at Hawaiʻi Foodservice Alliance, where HFA supports ocean, air and truck transportation across California, Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island. Based in Honolulu, Jared works closely with retailers, carrier partners and 90+ local companies to tackle the realities of island supply chains—balancing cost and reliability across ocean lanes and trucking. On this panel, he brings a hands‑on perspective from the day‑to‑day work of scaling logistics networks, managing disruption, and building practical solutions that keep Hawaiʻi moving.
Matthew Nguyen
Matthew Nguyen is the Head of Business Development for Amazon Air Cargo, leading growth across Latin America and HIPRAK (Hawaiʻi, Puerto Rico, and Alaska). He spearheaded the development and launch of Amazon Air operations across Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and the Big Island, bringing faster delivery to amazon.com customers throughout the Hawaiian Islands. In recent years, Matthew and the Amazon Air Cargo team have unlocked a powerful new opportunity for Hawaiʻi-based businesses—access to 4–7 daily cargo flights returning to the U.S. mainland at highly competitive rates. Amazon Air Cargo is proud to partner with local businesses seeking a faster, more reliable path to get their products to market and spread the Aloha spirit nationwide.
Dr. Carlos Peñaloza
Dr. Carlos Peñaloza serves as the dual Chancellor for Leeward Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu. A champion for innovation and equity, he has spearheaded key regional initiatives, including the expansion of the Waiʻanae Moku Education Center and the opening of the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center. Dr. Peñaloza is dedicated to building innovative educational pathways that bolster local economic development and the agricultural sector. A biologist by training, he brings over 20 years of expertise in teaching and administration. Previously, he served as Provost at Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences and Vice Chancellor at Metropolitan Community College. A native of Venezuela and a proud CUNY alumnus, he holds an A.S., B.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Biology.
Amanda Shaw
Dr. Amanda Shaw serves as Hawaiʻi Statewide Food Systems Coordinator through a public private partnership with the State of Hawaiʻi and Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi. She was raised on the Kanaka Maoli lands of Hunānāniho, Waimānalo on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Amanda’s work over the past 18 years has focused on food, agriculture and economic systems in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Amanda still lives in Hunānāniho and traces her family roots to the UK and Western Europe and to Saponi, Delaware, Shawnee and Caddo lands in West Virginia and Arkansas, respectively.
Logan Shiroma
Logan Shiroma is a Graduate Research Assistant with the University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center, where she supports planning, design, and proof-of-concept projects across Hawaiʻi. Through work supporting the Hawaiʻi Made Program, she contributed to branding and communications strategies informed by stakeholder engagement and research. She recently completed her Doctorate of Architecture, focusing on community engagement and indigenous knowledge systems in design.
Brian Suzuki
Nina Ann Tanabe
Nina Ann Tanabe is an experienced Certified Food Scientist. She has worked in industry, academia, and government. As the owner of Pacific Food Technology, LLC, a food consulting company, she works on product development, regulatory compliance (primarily U.S. food labeling), and Nutrition Facts labels. In addition, she also analyzes products for pH, water activity, brix, and more. She serves on the Boards of the Hawaiʻi Food Manufacturers Association, and the Maui Food Technology Center, where she serves as the food scientist.
James Kunane Tokioka
James Kunane Tokioka was named Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) on May 5, 2023. Prior to that, he served as the Deputy Director for the Department of Transportation’s Airports Division. Tokioka began his political career as a member of the Kauaʻi County Council in 1996, where he served for 10 years. He then went on to serve for 16 years as a member of the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives. Prior to his public service, Tokioka worked his way through the hospitality industry, both in Hawaiʻi and across the continental United States, doing everything from bussing tables to managing hotels and owning restaurants. Tokioka has also worked for Oceanic Time Warner Cable/Spectrum, where he oversaw new business management programs and assisted with securing the largest single contract in the company’s history. Tokioka studied at Holiday University in Mississippi, where he completed the accelerated certification program in Hotel, Food and Beverage, Guest Services and Security Management.
Susan Utsugi
Susan Utsugi is the Group Senior Vice President & Division Manager of Business Banking at Central Pacific Bank (CPB). With a career in banking spanning more than three decades, she has been an integral part of CPB since 2000. Susan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Seattle University and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to working with small businesses, finding great reward in helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Committed to the community, Susan serves as Vice-Chair of the Board for Hale Kipa, Vice-Chair of the Board for Pali Momi Foundation, Treasurer for Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council, and Advisory Board Member for the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership. She was the 2022 Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion for the State of Hawaiʻi.
Grant Verry
Grant is a senior executive, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder with more than 20 years’ experience across high-growth ventures, multinational operations, and food innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Formerly CEO of The FoodBowl (NZFIN), New Zealand’s national food innovation center, Grant led the development of an integrated value-chain model connecting farmers, manufacturers, researchers, workforce development, and export markets. Grant co-founded and Chaired the Asia-Pacific Food Innovation Network, enabling cross-border collaboration across Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand and serves as an Independent Director of FoodPlant, Singapore’s national food innovation center. Bringing an active regional perspective to food system development.
Grant is a member of New Zealand’s Ministerial Small Business Advisory Group and sat on the Steering Committee for NZ’s, Northland regional land-use transition strategy, with a focus on high-value primary sector development. He works with companies to increase productivity, commercial performance, and scale. Recently co-founding NZ Primary Ventures, to back the founders and systems that turn primary sector innovation into globally scalable ventures – commercializing innovation to meet global market demand.
Sharon Wages
Sharon Wages serves as an Associate Extension Agent in food crops with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR). Based on Hawaiʻi Island, she co‑leads CTAHR’s statewide Farm Food Safety Program, working with Hawaiʻi’s fresh fruit and vegetable producers to meet FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) training and on‑farm requirements. She represents UH as a partner and co‑PI with the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety, supporting FSMA‑focused training for small and socially disadvantaged producers in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific sub‑region, and has secured more than $1 million in grants to advance the state’s food safety education efforts.
Dane K. Wicker
Dane K. Wicker, born in Honolulu, is a committed public servant dedicated to advancing Hawaiʻi’s economy and community welfare. A graduate of Kahuku High School and the University of Hawaiʻi at West Oʻahu, he began his career in public service at Honolulu Hale, and then to Washington, D.C., as a Legislative Aide. Returning to Hawaiʻi in 2011, he supported State Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz on the Senate Ways and Means Committee and played a key role in shaping Hawaiʻi’s fiscal policies. As Deputy Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Wicker now leads strategic initiatives to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy, strengthen local industries, and foster sustainable development. His entrepreneurial spirit is reflected in ventures across retail, consulting, and agriculture, contributing to local economic resilience. Wicker’s diverse background underscores his commitment to enhancing Hawaiʻi’s economy and community through innovative, impactful service.
Dale Wright
Dale Wright is a retired Commercial Officer, with 20 years of experience in various domestic and overseas posts with the U.S. Commercial Service. During his career, Dale served as Principal Commercial Officer in Mexico City; as Senior Commercial Officer in Budapest, Hungary; as Standards Attaché in Beijing, China where he was also responsible for the Information Technology Sector; as Standards Attaché in Mexico City where he also covered the medical equipment/pharmaceuticals portfolio; and as Commercial Officer in Tokyo, Japan, where he handled the medical equipment/pharmaceuticals sector. Dale arrived in Japan in December 2002 after serving four years as director of the U. S. Export Assistance Center in Sacramento, CA. He brings a wealth of international trade experience, having been in that field since 1983 when he went to work for the Mississippi Department of Economic Development as an international trade specialist for the Far East. He had similar jobs with the State of California, first as an international trade specialist for the California World Trade Commission, then serving two years as deputy executive officer of the California Agricultural Export Program. Prior to joining the U.S. Commercial Service in 1998, he spent seven years as founding manager of the Sacramento Center for International Trade Development, an international trade consulting organization funded by the California Community College System. His private-sector experience includes four years as Senior Copywriter at an advertising agency in Tokyo, Japan, concentrating mainly on work for Canon Camera, and one year working for the giant trading company Mitsubishi, also in Tokyo. A holder of a B.A. degree in East Asian Studies from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, and an M.A. in Japanese language from Washington University in St. Louis, Wright is fluent in Japanese and has a working knowledge of Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Hungarian. He is married with two grown children and a grandfather of two. His wife is also a retired Foreign Service Officer, with the State Department.
Jina Wye
Jina Wye is the founder of Okonokai Sea Snacks, an Oahu-based brand on a mission to make seaweed part of our everyday diets. Drawing on more than 15 years of CPG marketing experience launching and scaling national food and beverage brands, Jina channeled her deep love for seaweed and its remarkable health benefits into building Okonokai from the ground up. In less than two years since its founding, Okonokai is carried in over 50 retailers, including Foodland, Down to Earth, Dean & DeLuca, and Farmlink. Jina was named a 2025 Startup to Watch by Pacific Business News and nominated as CPG Entrepreneur of the Year by the HVCA in 2026.
Denise Hayashi Yamaguchi
Denise Hayashi Yamaguchi is CEO and Founder of Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance (dba Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival®) and Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation, and leads efforts to promote Hawaiʻi’s culinary and ag industries through educational programs, community outreach and events that support Hawaiʻi’s economy. With 25+ years of experience, she has held leadership roles in nonprofits, tourism, and government, and continues to serve on several community and industry boards.
Hailey Zhou
Hailey Zhou is a food scientist and nutritionist who leads product development at the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center. She works closely with Hawaiʻi food brands and agricultural producers to develop and commercialize value-added products, supporting formulation, food safety and compliance, packaging, processing, sourcing and scale-up. Her work focuses on transforming local ingredients into commercially viable products that reflect Hawaiʻi’s culture, agriculture, and communities.