Aloha mai kākou,
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, whose first landing in January 1976 was an act of courage guided not by authority or acclaim, but by conscience. They led because the ʻāina called, the lāhui mattered, and responsibility to future generations left no room for waiting.
That spirit guides OHA into 2026.
Leadership is not a title or spotlight. It is a way of moving through the world with intention, whether anyone is watching or not, whether the work is visible or quiet, whether doing what is pono is easy or uncomfortable. Often, it is lonely work, especially when integrity asks more than convenience ever could.
At its best, leadership is expansive. It does not cause others to shrink; it creates room. It uses ʻike and influence to open space for learning, confidence, and growth. True leadership leaves others stronger than it found them and takes joy in watching people grow into leaders themselves.
Indeed, leadership is always thinking about successorship – not from insecurity, but from abundance. It asks: How do I create pathways for others with talent, work ethic, integrity, values, and vision to lead? And how soon can I step aside to make room?
Answering that requires trust. It means entrusting Kānaka, especially, with large institutions, large budgets, large trust assets, and significant kuleana not someday, but now. It means believing our people are not only capable of carrying responsibility, but of transforming it.
Leadership grounded in Hawaiian values is inseparable from care for culture and ʻāina, from commitment to equity and justice, and from closing gaps rather than managing them. It favors partnership over isolation and welcomes voices that ask hard questions, offer different perspectives, and engage in honest, rigorous, but always respectful dialogue.
In those spaces, truth is surfaced, ideas are strengthened, and solutions and shared visions take shape guided not by the desire to control outcomes, but by a commitment to decisions anchored in mission and values.
Equally important, leadership holds the means with the same care as the ends. No achievement is worth celebrating if it comes at the cost of unnecessary harm. Secure leaders never hoard opportunity or close doors on rising stars. They understand leadership is not to be coveted, but shared. When another’s journey is pono, their growth – even their surpassing us – is a triumph, revealing the deep well of talent and ʻike our people have carried and cultivated across generations.
That same generosity shapes how leaders hold truth. They communicate not to serve ego, but to fulfill kuleana – sharing information with care, knowing the weight of their words, speaking when it matters, and remaining open to being corrected if pono requires. Even disagreement becomes an invitation to listen more deeply and grow more honest.
Every leader’s time will sunset. What matters is whether, when it does, we have sown seeds of leadership that will flourish: a rising tide of alakaʻi, prepared as their PKO forbearers were, to lead our lāhui towards horizons that call us home.
May this be the legacy we carry forward, together,
Summer Lee Haunani Sylva
Interim Chief Administrator | Ka Pouhana Kūikawā
