Speakers 2021

Tristan Burnett

Tristan Burnett works for the UN Migration Agency, or the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She is the Deputy Director of the Department of Operations and Emergencies, which coordinates IOM’s humanitarian response to conflict and natural disasters, transitional programming, as well as its movement and resettlement operations. Previous to her appointment, Tristan was the head of the Preparedness and Response Division. She has managed programs on anti-trafficking; research; and coordinated a global project to establish interagency complaint mechanisms for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Tristan has been posted in Washington, DC; Afghanistan; Indonesia; and Switzerland.

Nancy Santullo

After enjoying a successful career as a freelance fashion and advertising photographer in Los Angeles for over fifteen years, Nancy Santullo felt that something was missing. She had a longing for more, and was compelled to step out of her comfortable world in search of deeper meaning in her life. In 1999, Nancy made a trip to the Peruvian Rainforest. There, she found a connection to the people of an indigenous village – to their beauty – hearts, and vision of a future for their children and community. Nancy saw that access to clean water, and sanitation that did not contaminate their surroundings, could fundamentally alter their vision. It could be a future they would define from a place of strength, honoring their environment, traditions, and culture. She saw a need that resonated in her, that she wanted to direct her energy and talent toward and change for the better. It was on this trip that Nancy decided she would make this her life’s work, her calling.

Josiah Akau

In 2017, Josiah Akau, a lifelong City and County of Honolulu firefighter and owner of Diversified Contract Services (DCS) founded Kinai`Eha translated from Hawaiian means “to extinguish pain.” Kinai`Eha is a small non profit that aims to disrupt the pathway to prison for Native Hawaiian youth who are seeking purpose and direction in their lives. Through a partnership between Josiah’s for profit and nonprofit, Native Hawaiian youth are provided with vocational skills in construction and receive a values based, trauma informed education grounded in Hawaiian culture. Josiah leads, teaches, and mentors the students of Kinai`Eha while running his contracting business, being a first responder at the Waimanalo Fire Station and a dad of two teenage boys. Josiah is committed to addressing the toughest issues facing our most vulnerable youth: high school drop-outs, houselessness, substance abuse, learning differences, incarceration, and other intractable issues. Josiah and his team have been recognized by both the City of Honolulu and State of Hawaii for their work empowering youth.

Adriana Beltran

For more than twenty years, Adriana Beltran has championed the promotion of a rights-based approach to tackling systemic corruption and insecurity in Central America. As head of the Citizen Security Program for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a U.S.-based research and advocacy organization, she promotes policies that identify and address the root causes of violence and improve the effectiveness and accountability of police and judicial systems. She has extensive experience addressing human rights, citizen security, and rule of law-related issues, as well as U.S. policy toward Central America. Beltran works closely with civil society organizations, donors, government officials, and multilateral entities. She has written various reports and articles on U.S.-Central America policy, police and justice reform, organized crime, and corruption in the region, and is currently leading a project to assess the level of progress in improving the rule of law, security, and accountability in Central America. Adriana was featured on a TEDx talk on Guatemala's fight against corruption and impunity.

Elizabeth Reilly

Elizabeth Reilly is Founder and President of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui. Concerned about the quality of life in the neighborhood due to proposed urban encroachment on the last agricultural land in the district, Elizabeth posted a street banner on April 22, 2004, that read – “What Makes Hawaii Kai Livable?” This banner led to the founding of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to upholding the integrity of the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan. Elizabeth eventually quit her job to build Livable Hawaii Kai Hui using a grassroots and common cause approach. She became a full-time volunteer President of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui with the support of her husband. Elizabeth’s passion is to connect people to the land through education and volunteerism. Prior to founding Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, Elizabeth worked as an advertising and marketing consultant for residential developers. This background gave Elizabeth a unique perspective and ability to collaborate with stakeholders who traditionally would be averse to Livable Hawaii Kai Hui’s mission. Elizabeth attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Kendrick Chang

Born and raised in East Honolulu, Kendrick S. Chang was first introduced to Livable Hawaii Kai Hui through a volunteer project with the Boy Scouts. Throughout high school, Kendrick crossed paths with Livable Hawaii Kai Hui whether through volunteer projects or writing an article for the school newspaper. Kendrick was officially roped into Livable Hawaii Kai Hui as a Youth Advisor which years later led to a leadership positions such as a fundraising campaign to purchase the Ka Iwi Mauka lands. Kendrick currently serves Livable Hawaii Kai Hui as an administrative board secretary and community outreach lead. Kendrick is currently a law student at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law and plans to practice law in Honolulu. Prior to entering law school, Kendrick received his bachelor’s degree in political communication from the George Washington University. As an undergraduate student, Kendrick completed internships at the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. and a local real estate development firm in Honolulu. These experiences have provided Kendrick a full-rounded perspective in government and business and environmental non-profits that he hopes to apply as a future attorney.

Asma Qadri

A lawyer by profession, Asma Qadri serves as Communications Manager at Circle Women in Pakistan and works to empower the women of Pakistan through digital access and inclusion. Founded by Ms. Sadaffe Abid, CIRCLE Women is a social enterprise working on women’s empowerment and leadership development, as well as digital equity, through advocacy, research, technology and innovative entrepreneurship labs. CIRCLE has been inspiring women & girls to believe in themselves, building capacity through digital skills, mentorship, work readiness and increasing women’s participation in the economy. CIRCLE believes in supporting the next generation workforce, empowering women and engaging with the youth. CIRCLE works towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals, esp SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).

Joy and John Naden

Born in London's East End, John trained as a woodwork and metalwork teacher at a London University campus. His first teaching was as a volunteer through the UK VSO in Madang in PNG (Papua New Guinea). Upon moving to Sydney, Australia for a teaching job, he met Joy Greenhill on a Sydney Harbor ferry as she was carrying a PNG billum [woven bag made of natural plant fiber]! John studied ESL in Canberra before teaching for four years in Papua New Guinea. He returned to Australia to teach on Groote Eylandt in the far north of Australia in Arnhem Land. He lived in Darwin before finally making Bathurst Island home where he has lived for thirty years. 27 of those years have been working with the NGO Ngaruwanajirri which he founded in 1994. John's interests include woodworking, boats and hunting wild buffalo on Melville Island for food. His knowledge of wood and tools has been an asset to the men's groups working with Ngaruwanajirri who are local indigenous artisans who are skilled in carving Ironwood sculptures. Joy trained as High School art teacher working in numerous schools only ever teaching art in New South Wales. Taught high school art in Papua New Guinea. Joy's interests are working on paper and canvas with watercolors inks and oils and acrylics. Fabric dyes (direct and printing) and batik on silk and cotton, fossicking along beaches, collecting anything of interest to draw or admire. She is passionate about the bush, the birds and wildlife of the Tiwi Islands. Joy teaches batik and silk screening while working alongside indigenous artisans.