Pacific Institute- Board of Fellows

Board of Fellows
	Keith Roberts BYU-Hawaii Vice President for Academics, Keith Roberts earned his M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Marquette University, Milwaukee, and his Ph.D. in curriculum and mathematics from the same university. The co-author of several mathematics textbooks, he was Project Associate for the Carnegie Mathematics and Curriculum Development Project at Milwaukee Area Technical College as well as Director of Research Planning, Development, and Evaluation at the same institution. Among his many scholarly papers, he delivered the keynote lecture, “Using Performance Indicators in the U.S. and the U.K.” at the 1997 Conference on Performance Indicators in Higher and Further Education, in London, U.K.; a paper, “Development of an Administrative Workload Matrix for Higher Education” at the 1996 Association for Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest conference; and “Ethnicity and Social Distance in the Marshall Islands” presented at the 1995 BYU-Hawaii “Ethnicity and Multi-ethnicity” conference. An avid supporter of cross-cultural scholarship, he heads the Pacific Institute Board of Fellows. Email
	Mataumu Alisa Associate Professor of Art, Mataumu Alisa apprenticed in the studios of mural artists Juliette May Fraser and David Asherman. He earned his B.F.A. from BYU Hawaii and his M.F.A. from BYU in Provo, Utah. He has conducted workshops funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in American Samoa and Hawaii; served on the board of the Jean Charlot Foundation; and exhibited in the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Artists of Honolulu Exhibitions. He serves as a Hawaii State Department of Education consultant for student mural projects in the schools, and he and his works— prints and large scale murals— have been featured on public television in both Samoa and Hawaii. Email
	Logoitino Vaovai Apelu Logoitino Vaovai Apelu, from Apia, Western Samoa directs the cultural programs of the Polynesian Cultural Center's "Islands." A graduate of BYU-Hawaii, he holds a Masters degree in Education. He is an expert in Polynesian cultural matters as the holder of the matai title, High Chief Leilua, a responsibility with genealogical authority and a long history in Samoan tradition. He sees the need of scholarly support of all-important cultural issues that lie at the heart of Polynesian tradition. Email
	Cy M. Bridges Educated at Church College of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii, he taught hula for the Hawaii State Foundation on Hawaiian Heritage for ten years and began the Polynesian Cultural Center's hula halau in 1980. He has lectured for the Queen Lili`uokalani Children's Center, Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club,the Waianae Coast Cultural Society, and the 1994 Mo`oku`auhau Hawaiian Leadership Conference. In 1992 he was the first recipient of the Nipolo Award from Na Leo Mele: The Chanter's Art Foundation, in recognition of his traditional chant performances. Email [Top]
	Phillip Bruner An Assistant Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, he earned his B.S. from Church College of Hawaii, and his M.S. from Louisiana State University. He has spent close to 30 years studying birds of the Pacific, particularly Hawaii's Kolea (Golden Plover). His work on the ecosystems of Pacific Islands and long-term human degradation is rooted in his belief that from a natural history point of view the islands of the Pacific are miniature worlds. Fortunately, he says, some outliers are still pristine and relatively unchanged and afford scholars a small window into the past. The beauty, fragility, and value of the native plant life of the islands instill in him a desire to see people being more in touch with how a world -- its plants, animals, and people, sustains itself. Email
	`Inoke F. Funaki An Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, he is a graduate of BYU-Hawaii and received both his M.A. and Ph.D. from BYU in Provo. He was the first president of the Tongan Society of America-Laie, a non-profit organization for the promotion of Tongan cultural identity and scholarship among children of Tongan ancestry in Hawaii. He is a past appointee to the State of Hawaii board of directors of the Committee for the Humanities. He hopes that the Pacific Institute can serve as a watchman with respect to maintaining a balance between authenticity and showmanship in all culturally-related activities. Email
	Jon Tikivanotau Michael Jonassen Professor Jonassen is a graduate of BYU-Hawaii and holds an M.A. in Pacific Island Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. A former Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand, he also served with the South Pacific Commission directing programs of economic development, population, environmental, cultural conservation, and other Pacific Islands concerns. A 1983 recipient of a United Nations Fellowship, he sees the Pacific Institute Board of Fellows giving cultural advisory support and facilitating the Polynesian Cultural Center's immersion in and influence of the wider Pacific in the 21st Century. Email [Top]
	Meli U. Lesuma Meli graduated with the Baton of Honor from the Royal Fiji Police Force before becoming administrative assistant in the Suva Presiding Bishopric's office then later teaching in the LDS school system in Fiji. He earned his B.S. and A.A. in Human Resource Development from BYU-Hawaii and his M.A. in the same field from Hawaii Pacific University. He was recruited for the Church Education System to return to Fiji as Country Director with responsibility over Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Now Assistant to the Vice President for Academics on Pacific Island issues, he is also director of multicultural student services for BYU-Hawaii. Email
	Raymond T. Mariteragi Educated at Lycee Paul Gauguin, Pape'ete, Tahiti, and the Church College of Hawaii, he is presently the Tahiti and Marquesas Islands manager at the Polynesian Cultural Center, a position for which he is well prepared as he speaks Tahitian, French, English and Spanish and is an expert in the traditional oral culture of French Polynesia. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work on the Board of Fellows: "I'm very excited to be part of something as interesting and fulfilling as the Institute because I think that we can make a great contribution to both the University and the Polynesian Cultural Center by helping the students through their education". Email
	Phillip McArthur An Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Chair of International Cultural Studies and World Languages, he earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University, and both his M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University. His scholarly work on the social life of narrative in the Marshall Islands affords him a base of interest in facilitating student research and involvement in Pacific-related concerns. His desire is to continue creating courses that engage students in thinking about cultural issues in critical, thought-provoking ways. In this way students learn to function with cultural sensitivity in academics as well as in the private sector, government, and the community. Email [Top]
	Arapata Meha The Associate Dean of Admissions at BYU-Hawaii, he received his early schooling at Hastings Boys High School and the Church College of New Zealand. He earned a B.A. in Music as well as a teaching credential at BYU-Hawaii in 1982. In 1988 he received his M.Ed. in education administration from the University of Hawaii where he is currently in the Ph.D. program in Higher Education. A Maori with strong tribal affiliations, his interests in the Pacific include indigenous and comparative education. Email
	John Muaina Vice President for Human Resources with the Polynesian Cultural Center, he holds a B.S. from BYU-Hawaii and an M.S. from the University of Phoenix in organizational management. His current responsibilities include formalizing a joint BYU-Hawaii and Polynesian Cultural Center Asian Executive Exchange Program whereby selected professionals from business, government, and education institutions in China come to Hawaii for further management training and experience in the English language. Of Samoan and Hawaiian descent, he also serves as Chair of the Board of Fellows. Email
	Mele Nunia Ongoongotau A BYU-Hawaii graduate in TESL, she is the assistant manager of the Island of Tonga at the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Tongan Language instructor on campus. Well schooled in traditional Tongan genealogy, she and her children descend from a line of title holders in whom reside the responsibility to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the kava ceremony in Tongan culture. Articulate in a vast store of Polynesian cultural knowledge, she believes that the Institute and its Fellows can assist the PCC by being involved in the research of more traditional knowledge for use in the Center's cultural "islands". Email [Top]
	Rosalind Meno Ram An Assistant Librarian in the Division of Library and Academic Support, Rose earned her B.S. in TESL from from BYU-Hawaii, and her M.L.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Hawaii. A Chamorro from Guam, she attributes her personal and professional strength to her Chamorro philosophy of cooperation with others and assisting others in diverse needs. She is enthusiastic about researching Pacific related sources and information as well as exploring the University's and others' promotion of the Pacific worldview. Email
	Rowena E. P. Reid The Excecutive Director of Alumni Affairs, Rowena E.P. Reid earned her B.S. in Social Work from BYU-Hawaii in 1976 and her M.S. in Educational Counseling from Oregon State University in 1981. In her present campus role, Rowena coordinates all alumni activities of 42 worldwide alumni chapters by maintaining a database of some 45, 000 alumni and friends of BYU-Hawaii. Email
	Inoke Seru Suguturaga A member of the Yatu Mabua tribe of Fiji, he was educated at Marist Brothers Schools and the Fiji Institute of Technology, he worked in New Zealand and the US before joining the Polynesian Cultural Center where he is the assistant manager of the Fiji "Islands". He learned by experience the ceremonies and significance of Fijian life as his mother was a teacher as well as Dau ni Vucu, respected expert in Fijian custom, protocol, and tradition. He sees the Pacific Institute as providing various avenues of cultural awareness through research, education, and hands-on experiences between the University and the cultural center. Email
	William Kauaiwiwiulaokalani Wallace III An Associate Professor and director of the Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian Language and Culture, he was educated at Kamehameha Schools, BYU-Hawaii, the University of Hawaii, and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he received his Juris Doctor degree. He has served as Assistant Attorney General in the American Samoan government and in Hawaii's child and parent advocacy program. He recently directed the construction and launching of Iosepa, BYU-Hawaii's 57-foot hand-carved wa`a kaulua -- a twin-hulled Hawaiian sailing canoe patterned after ancient Polynesian voyaging vessels. He also recently received appointment as a Family Court Judge in the State of Hawaii. Email
	Vernice Wineera A Maori of Ngati Toa and Ngati Raukawa tribes, Vernice Wineera is director of The Pacific Institute. She earned her B.A. in English with an Art minor from BYU-Hawaii, and both her M.A. and Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. She is a former vice president of the Polynesian Cultural Center and her most recent research examines issues of representation and the negotiation of cultural identities in touristic display at the Polynesian Cultural Center. She sees the Institute's Board of Fellows bringing scholars and cultural experts together in a forum of intellectual dialogue unique to BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center as Fellows serve in an advisory capacity to both institutions on matters pertaining to research, scholarship, cultural studies and student internship programs. Email [Top]
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Board of Fellows

BYUH Pacific Institute © 2007