Waimea native Mana Purdy named executive director of Keahuolū steward

Mana Purdy has taken over as executive director of Keahuolū, the 3,200-acre ahupuaa in North Kona that Liliuokalani Trust wants managed as both a land base and a community asset. Purdy assumed the role June 15 and now oversees stewardship, youth and community programming, supportive services, and new initiatives tied to Native Hawaiian children and families.

A Waimea native is now at the center of decisions that affect one of West Hawaii’s most visible tracts of land, from the shoreline camps between Kailua-Kona town and Honokōhau Harbor to the retail and civic properties around Makalapua Shopping Center and the Kona Judiciary Complex. Leasing and development decisions stay with the trust’s endowment team in Honolulu, while Purdy’s focus is the local footprint, including the Kīpuka Kona office and public-facing activity in Kona.

Purdy is not new to the trust. Liliuokalani Trust promoted him to natural assets and operations director in September 2019, after he joined the organization in July 2013 and served as natural resources manager starting in January 2015. His earlier role included stewardship of Hawaii Island lands not tied up by leases or development, leadership of the Kona-based land stewards, and relationship-building with the community. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Northern Arizona University, with an emphasis in biocultural diversity, sustainability and community, plus a minor in anthropology. He is a Hawaii Preparatory Academy graduate.

The trust created the Keahuolū leadership role to keep land stewardship from being split into isolated land or leasing functions. In practical terms, that makes Purdy the point person for how the property is used day to day, including whether programs expand into spaces vacated by retail tenants and how much more activity can be built around Food Truck Fridays at Makalapua Shopping Center.

Liliuokalani Trust set aside the land in April 2014 for perpetual use benefiting Native Hawaiian children through an ohana-oriented camping experience. The trust’s 2023 Land Use Commission report listed Phase I development as including Kmart, Macy’s, Makalapua Stadium Cinemas and the Kona Judiciary Complex, completed in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2019, and said the trust was still trying to engage a hotel developer for the property.

Liliuokalani Trust's Vision 2045 is aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty for Native Hawaiians and increasing the number of thriving kamalii across the pae āina. It serves kamalii ages 0 to 26 and has more than 200 professionals and statewide locations, with about 6,200 acres in its portfolio, most of it on Hawaii Island. Jennifer K. Laa is set to become the trust’s next president and CEO on July 1.