Hawaii Nature Conservancy Names New Director
Hawaii Nature Conservancy Names New Director
Hawaii Nature Conservancy
Ulalia Woodside, a 14-year veteran with the Land Assets Division at Kamehameha Schools, has been named the new executive director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, the organization announced today.
Woodside, who has served as director of natural and cultural resources, and in other roles at Kamehameha Schools since 2002, succeeds Suzanne Case, who departed last April to accept the position of chair of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. Mark Fox, the Conservancy’s external affairs director, served as acting Hawai‘i executive director during the search process.
“We would like to thank Mark Fox for his exemplary service and welcome Ulalia Woodside as the new leader of the Conservancy’s Hawai‘i Program,” said Board Chairman Chris Benjamin. “Ulalia brings a wealth of planning, land management and conservation experience to the job. Her diverse background, her ties to the local Hawai‘i community, her reputation and work ethic, and her expertise in Hawaiian culture all combined to make her the unanimous choice of the search committee.”
During her tenure at Kamehameha Schools, Woodside was responsible for a property portfolio of 200,000 acres of agricultural and conservation lands. She forged the strategic direction for the resource management program and developed partnerships and alliances to support its implementation.
In addition, Woodside developed and implemented programs to steward environmental and natural resources and preserve and restore cultural resources on Kamehameha Schools’ lands statewide. She has worked in various planning and land management positions in both the private and public sectors in Hawai‘i.
“I am honored and excited to lead the Conservancy’s Hawai‘i Program,” Woodside said. “I can think of no higher calling than protecting Hawai‘i’s natural environment. I look forward to working with the Conservancy’s board, its staff, and its many partners and supporters to continue the organization’s strong legacy of achievement in Hawai‘i.”
Woodside is a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i Political Science and Hawaiian Studies programs and completed her graduate course work at UH’s School of Urban and Regional Planning. She holds a certificate in Hawaiian language from UH-Mānoa and is a trained Kumu Hula, completing her ‘uniki rites of passage under Kumu Hula Hōkūlani Holt Padilla in 2008.
Among her many professional and community affiliations, Woodside has served as vice chair of the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Executive Committee (2014-2015), commissioner of the Hawai‘i Natural Area Reserve System Commission (2013-2014), indigenous representative of the Landscape Conservation Cooperative National Council (2013-2015), and chair, executive council, of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative (2011-2012).
She currently serves as a board member of the State Board of Land and Natural Resources and as a member of the steering committee for Hawai‘i Green Growth. Woodside is scheduled to start work at the Hawaii Nature Conservancy in mid-January.