 Donna Okada-Asher, Chair – was born on Kauai and attended Kekaha Elementary and Waimea High Schools. She continued her Education at the University of Hawaii, Manoa where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Technology.
Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc. (DLS) employs her where she currently holds the position of Senior Marketing Representative and is in her 16th year. She is based on Kauai but her area of responsibility includes Maui, Molokai and Hawaii Island. This necessitates her to travel off island three to four times a week. Prior to her current assignment she practiced as a medical technologist for twenty years for both DLS and SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratory. Donna is married to Roy Asher and they have three children, Stevie, Evan, Marissa and a Grandson Lyon. She cherishes the time she spends with her family especially her Grandson. Her interests are in traveling abroad and relishes coordinating and planning the Family vacations. She has a passion for motorcycles and annually accompanies her husband on cross-country runs across the continental States and to date has explored 46 States in addition to four Canadian Provinces. Donna enjoys her time on the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation-Kauai Region Board. It been both an honor and rewarding time. |
 Ernest Kanekoa, Vice-Chair – has over 40 years of experience in the Hotel, Security and Food and Beverage services. The owner of the Kalaheo Steak and Ribs, he focuses on giving back to his community through time spent on different boards and service associations such as the Hawaii Business Association, the American Society of Industrial Security, the Honolulu Zoo, the Kauai Security Association and the Molokai Visitors Association. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Travel Industry Management from the University of Hawaii, Manoa and other degrees and certificates from the Kapiolani Community College, the Honolulu Community College and the Pan American Air Pacific School respectively. Mr. Kanekoa enjoys outdoor activities such as body surfing in his spare time. |
 Glenda Nogami Streufert, Director – brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the HHSC Kauai Region. Having grown up on the Island of Lanai to moving to the Midwest, to Germany and later to Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, she has experienced life with a broader perspective. She has worked in both academic and governmental positions. Most recently, she’s served as the Chair of the Kauai County Planning Commission where hearings for zoning and land use permits are reviewed and decided upon. Dr. Nogami-Streufert also managed the Kauai Civil Defense Agency (now Kauai Emergency Management Association). She holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. from Purdue University and enjoys many activities in her spare time. |
 Theodor David Rintel, MD, Director – received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the Antioch College in Ohio and received his Doctorate of Medicine from George Washington University in Washington DC, Maryland. He completed his Surgical Internship and Residency with the Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He continued with a Fellowship in Anesthesiology and Neuroanesthesiology from Harvard University. His professional experience includes over 30 years of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Neuroanesthesiology experience on the US mainland and South Pacific. In his spare time he enjoys guitar composition, jet skiing, diving and hiking with his dogs. |
 Walt Barnes, Director – has been a Kauai resident since 1996. He plays an active role on Kauai in land conservation, energy, and STEM education. Walt served as a Director for the Kauai Public Land trust, a founding Director of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative and its foundation, and as a director and past President of the Garden Isle Racing Association. Walt led Kauai’s first middle-school robotics team and has served in advisory capacities for STEM programs at Kauai Community College.
Walt also teaches Vinyasa Yoga and Yoga Nidra meditation, with certifications from the American Council on Exercise and from Yoga Alliance. He believes Yoga movement and Yoga mediation are inseparable parts of a complete practice which is deeply healing and can protect the mind and body from stress and the demands of daily life. Professionally, Walt is a lead scientist in AT&T’s Chief Security Office inventing new ways to protect AT&T, its approximately 100 million customers, and their more than 200 million connected devices from cyberterrorists and nation-state adversaries. He is the architect for AT&T’s cyber governance, risk, and compliance programs. As one of the original architects for Bell Labs’ Computer Division Walt designed fault tolerant computer systems, and on loan to France he contributed to the early success of their Minitel network. Walt also designed robotic blood analysis systems for Abbott Labs and directed R&D for reliability and resilience for Motorola’s Internet Content Services Division. Walt holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Kansas and a MS in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University. Walt is an avid cyclist, hiker, SCUBA diver and woodworker. |
