Charter School Commissioner Bunag

Brandon Keoni Bunag is the Vice President of Public Programs and interim Director of Education at Bishop Museum. He is responsible for all public operations as well as programmatic-related initiatives of the Museum, including the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the Museum’s education initiatives and programs. These include on-site school field trips, outreach, planetarium and community, public and daily programs.

He previously served on Hālau Kū Māna’s (HKM) Governing Board and later its Poʻo Kula (Head of School). Before HKM, Brandon worked at Kamehameha Schools in the Extension Education Division. There, he was responsible for the planning and execution of Hoʻomākaiʻikaʻi, the long-standing summer boarding program that connected students to their kūpuna through moʻolelo, mele, oli, hula, and cultural site visits. He was also instrumental in expanding the Hoʻolauna and Kūlia I Ka Pono summer
programs to communities across the Pae ʻĀina. Collectively, the Explorations Series were programs designed to provide opportunities for haumāna to connect with their culture and community while gaining a sense of kuleana. These experiences and the opportunity to serve on the Commission is fueled by a deep passion for Hawaiian culture-based and community-based education that puts student success at its core.

Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Studies and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He attained an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California where his research focused on resource allocation in Hawaiian-focused charter schools. He was born and raised in Halawa, Oʻahu and continues to reside there with his wife and two keiki, both whom have previously attended public charter schools.