Nalani Fujimori Kaina

Nalani Fujimori Kaina is the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Ms. Kaina began her career as an attorney on Molokai, an island of 7,500 residents, in a one attorney office and also served as a managing attorney and deputy director. She is a director with the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, commissioner on the Hawai‘i Access to Justice Commission, a former chair of the Hawai‘i State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and the immediate past president of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation. She was named one of the 20 for the Next 20 by Hawaii Business magazine, and was a Pacific Business News Business Leader of the Year finalist. She has been recognized by the Hawai‘i State Bar Association, receiving the C. Frederick Shutte Award in 2008 for her work on an access to justice report which lead to the creation of the Hawai‘i Access to Justice Commission, and the President’s Award in 2019. She also received the Ho‘okele Award in 2013 from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation for outstanding non-profit leadership. In 2016, she was chosen to participate in the Omidyar Fellows program, sponsored by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, aimed at creating a network of societal change leaders for Hawai‘i. Ms. Kaina is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Macalester College and New York University School of Law.