Keli’i Akina, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, is a recognized scholar, public policy spokesman and community leader in Hawaii. In 2016, Akina was elected to statewide public office as trustee-at-large for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs. He is an expert in East-West philosophy and ethics, has taught at universities in China and the United States, and continues as an adjunct instructor at Hawaii Pacific University. He holds advanced degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Hawaii.