Ellen Lokelani Kenolio has been appointed vice chancellor for student affairs, and Michaelyn Nākoa Hall has been appointed to the newly created position of interim executive director of strategy at Kapiʻolani Community College. Both appointments were effective on August 1.
Ellen Lokelani Kenolio
Kenolio has more than 25 years of administrative and student affairs experience in the University of Hawaiʻi System. She has served as the interim vice chancellor for student affairs at UH West Oʻahu and has led successful efforts in enrollment services, equity and access, Native Hawaiian student success and student first-year experience programs.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Kenolio as the vice chancellor for student affairs,” said Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “Loke comes to us with rich experiences and a strong track record in student services and support as well as teaching in Hawaiʻi. Loke’s expertise in enrollment services, equity and access, student engagement, academic advising, especially, will undoubtedly be a critical asset to Kapiʻolani Community College.”
Kenolio earned a BA in speech communications and an MA in educational leadership from UH Mānoa; and earned an EdD in educational leadership from the University of Southern California. Her EdD research focused on the areas of high-impact student success programs of persistence, retention and graduation.
“I am grateful and honored to join the Kapiʻolani campus ʻohana,” said Kenolio. “I am excited to work with the campus community in perpetuating the mission and values of Kapiʻolani and providing students the services needed to support their success.”
Michaelyn Nākoa Hall
As the interim director of strategy, Nākoa Hall will oversee Kapiʻolani CC’s accreditation process, strategic development and communication and the coordination of Native Hawaiian student support resources and services.
“I am very pleased that Dr. Nākoa Hall has accepted the role of interim director of strategy,” said Takabayashi. “Dr. Nākoa Hall has been instrumental in leading student affairs through the recent transition as an executive, co-led the strategic plan development, and is a prominent leader in enhancing the capacity for Native Hawaiian student success. Her diverse experiences at our college in various roles in AGOs, faculty leadership, grants and administration, whilst remaining a staunch supporter of Native Hawaiians and all students, will bring so much value to our entire campus through this role.”
Nākoa Hall has been with Kapiʻolani CC since 2005 in various capacities and leadership roles in student affairs. In her primary and campus leadership roles, she acquired extensive knowledge of student affairs programming, grant acquisition and management, budget management, evaluation and assessment, shared governance and UH System and campus policies.
“I am honored and humbled to have been offered this position as the interim executive director of strategy,” said Nākoa Hall. “The position combines the kuleana for three very critical areas for the college. I am enthusiastic about accepting this challenging role and will approach it with renewed energy to support the institution’s mission to promote student success and serve our community.”
She was born and raised in Honolulu and earned a BA in sociology from UH Mānoa, and an MS in counseling psychology with a concentration in community counseling from Chaminade University. Her PhD in educational psychology from UH Mānoa was conferred in May 2020, and her dissertation topic was, “The Influence of Self-Efficacy and Hawaiian Identity on Academic Performance among First-Year Native Hawaiian Community College Students.”
