2020 Keynote Speaker - Ulalia Woodside "Ola Ka ʻĀina Momona: Managing for Abundance"

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY – Ulalia Woodside

In her professional career and as Kumu Hula, Ulalia Woodside is dedicated to the thriving lands, seas, people and culture of Hawaiʻi. Currently the Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, she and her team protect and restore native watershed forests, collaborate with communities to improve coral reefs and fisheries, and develop cutting-edge research at Palmyra Atoll. Prior to joining TNC, Ulalia oversaw and expanded place-based education and natural and cultural resources management programs at Kamehameha Schools. She also collaborates to advance cultural ecosystem services research and the unique relationship of indigenous peoples to natural resources management as a contributing author to journal articles. Ulalia serves on the board of directors for Hawai‘i Green Growth, Mālama Honua Public Charter School, Kauahea Inc. and the Lālākea Foundation; organizations dedicated to the advancement of learning, traditional cultural practices, and the preservation of the Hawaiian relationship to land.

In her words, “Hula and mo‘olelo are our expressions of love and commitment for our home, Hawai‘i. We honor the tree that collects rainwater for us to drink… the ancestral wisdom of seasons… and the reciprocity of kinship and stewardship with ʻāina. As we continue to tell our stories, write songs and dance the motions of the mountains and seas, our promise to Hawai‘i and the planet lives for generations.”