Cathy is the granddaughter of teachers, the daughter of teachers, the mother of a teacher and a teacher of teachers. Her life work continues to be on normalizing Hawaiian culture based education practices in the classroom for all of Hawaiʻi’s students. She earned a B.A. in English, a secondary teaching certification and an M.Ed. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Cathy also earned an Ed.D. in Professional Educational Practice from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has taught grades 6-12 for 23 years on Hawaiʻi Island and is currently an Assistant Professor of Middle/Secondary Education at the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu.

Commissioner Ikeda

Chairperson, July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024