About Us

Empowering Community with Opportunity

At Kōnea Ola, our mission is deeply rooted in the belief that people and place are inherently interconnected. We are dedicated to leveraging the restoration economy as a catalyst for positive change, particularly within the Native Hawaiian community. By fostering entrepreneurial pathways and supporting Native Hawaiian enterprises, we aim to create sustainable opportunities that honor both the land and its people.

In essence, Kōnea Ola is not just about restoring landscapes; it's about revitalizing communities, preserving culture, and fostering a legacy of stewardship for generations to come. Together, we are shaping a future where economic prosperity, cultural preservation, and mālama ʻāina go hand in hand.

Our Story

Kōnea Ola's journey began with a vision to address the pressing need for land restoration services across Hawaiʻi's landscapes. As we delved deeper into this endeavor, it became evident that significant gaps existed in executing large-scale restoration projects effectively. The aim then was to incubate startups that were forming to meet the growing demand for essential restoration services. We are committed to uplifting and empowering the Native Hawaiian community as the original stewards of this ʻāina, and foster meaningful impact by supporting native Hawaiian restoration businesses.

Meet the Team

Liana Katase

Liana loves her home of Hawaiʻi more than anything, and feels deeply committed to stewarding the ʻāina as her ancestors have. She strives to embody what it means to be native Hawaiian and uphold the traditions and ʻike of her culture. She is currently the Senior Manager of Kōnea Ola and feels passionately about supporting native Hawaiians who are interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial path in natural resource management. Liana earned her B.S. in Natural Resource and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and is deeply grateful for the experiences she has had on the land, and the opportunity to work alongside many wonderful volunteers stewarding the ʻāina. Liana's career has been focused on outreach and education, connecting the community to ʻāina-based opportunities, and is now focused on project management in the restoration economy.

Shellen Hashimoto

Shellen is a kamaʻāina of Kaʻū and has found great learning and purpose working in the forestry industry as the Senior Accountant for Kealakekua Mountain Reserve. She also oversees accounting for various startup businesses with Kōnea Ola. She loves spending time with family, dancing hula, and hanging out at the beach on the weekends. Giving back to her community is important to her, and she sits on the Board of the Aliʻi Health Center. Prior to working in forestry she worked in medical administration for many years.

Sharae Wong

Sharae Wong is a Paralegal and bookkeeper for Kealakekua Mountain Reserve, where she oversees the financial management and accounting. For the last four years, she has worked hard to create an efficient office, streamlining financial processes, applying for grants, along with some project management work. Her most current project is the development of Kapilina, at KMR.

Prior to joining KMR’s team, Sharae spent 8 years working in education and 3 years as a Personnel Manager at ALTRES Staffing. She is an entrepreneur at heart, owning and operating multiple businesses throughout the years.

She is currently working towards getting her BA in Business Management.

Greg Hendrickson

Greg Hendrickson is a member of the Kōnea Ola Board of Directors. Greg is actively involved in community environmental initiatives and serves on the boards of: Watershed Media, Hiki Ola, and the Kona Soil and Water Conservation District. Greg is also the General Manager of the Kealakekua Mountain Reserve. Prior to joining the Reserve, he was Special Council with the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy and Bass, served as the administrator for 24,000 acres of ranch, forest, and coastal property in Hawaii, and was projects manager for the Pacific Forest Trust. In these positions he was responsible for conserving over 150,000 acres of Californian and Hawaiian ranch, forest and cultivated landscapes and participated in developing environmentally-based commodities transactions.

Greg earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco in 1997. While at Hastings, he completed Hastings’ Tax Concentration and received the 1997 Arthur Anderson Prize in Taxation. He also has a Master of Science in Health Policy and Law from the University of California San Francisco. Greg is a member of the Real Estate Section of the California and Hawaii Bar Associations. Author of articles on conservation easements for The Back Forty and The Charitable Gift Planning News, he also has organized and conducted seminars in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, advising on conservation land transactions.