Noe Kalipi

We sit down with Noe Kalipi to explore leadership, community engagement, and the complex intersections of land, policy, and military presence in Hawaiʻi. Noe shares her journey from growing up in Hilo to working in Washington, D.C. as a congressional intern for Senator Daniel Akaka during the era of the Apology Resolution. She reflects on how those early experiences shaped her understanding of reconciliation, public service, and the importance of approaching governance with aloha and humility. Ashley and Wren discuss Noe’s work building relationships between institutions and communities, including her time with the Kohala Institute and current role navigating issues related to U.S. military land leases in Hawaiʻi. The conversation highlights the importance of community participation, ancestral knowledge, and dialogue across differences. Noe emphasizes the need to hold space for disagreement while building shared understanding, and reflects on how meaningful change often happens through small cracks in large systems when people commit to showing up with integrity and care for place. Socials: @noelanik ⁠Show Notes:⁠ ⁠Apology Resolution ⁠ ⁠Akaka Bill⁠ ⁠Kohala Institute⁠  ⁠Island Leadership Lab⁠ ⁠Hawaii Coordination Cell⁠ Subscribe to hear more stories from change-makers in Hawai‘i: https://www.pilalipodcast.org/subscribe Timestamps: 00:00 Noe Kalipi's Journey 4:38 Senator Akaka's Mentorship 15:07 Community-Led Energy 26:25 Facilitating Dialogue 40:58 Department of Defense Role Hawaii 58:51 Cleanup Future Hope