Dr. Adrienne Dillard, Ph.D., M.S.W., L.S.W.
Chief Executive Officer
I am the youngest daughter of Charles and Helen Dillard born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, a licensed social worker in the State of Hawaii with both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Work from Hawaii Pacific University and a doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of Hawaii Manoa. I am experienced in community development; community based participatory research, and youth programming because of my service to the community of Papakolea, Kewalo, and Kalawahine since 1993. I was asked by Puni who befriended me while working at HMSA "to do her a favor for a minute -T" and help with the newly formed non-profit Kula No Na Po'e Hawaii to review organizational start-up documentation. I consider it all joy and a blessing to have received my training for working in the community from Grandma Maria Suganuma, Kupuna Leimomi Nahinu, Kupuna Winona Freitas, Kupuna Rufina Molaka-Lee, Kupuna Brenda Kekauoha, and Uncle Bob Freitas. Each imparted their gifts that helped me understand the call upon my life to assist the planning and implementation of education and health programs, and community development activities for residents of Papakolea. I have been blessed to work in such a beautiful place and to help realize the vision of these remarkable kupuna for Papakolea. My area of research interest is the impact of dementia on caregivers in the Native Hawaiian Community.