Makayla Rickard

Maui Nui Program Manager

Makayla has a passion for finding a ways to increase the sustainability of natural resources in Hawaii.  She is engulfed in understanding the connectivity between ocean, land, and people.  Makayla holds her bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Science Management from the University of Hawaii College, where most of her studies focused on island-based sustainability issues and the management of resources.  She has worked with several conservation entities from the top of the mountain, at Pu’u Kukui Watershed Preserve, to the bottom of the ocean as a marine environmental consultant.  Her most recent position as Coordinator at Kipuka Olowalu Cultural Reserve has provided her with a background in culturally sensitive work.  Makayla brings with her the belief with her that in Hawaii, the success of conservation efforts depends on the integration of indigenous knowledge.  In her free time, Makayla is spending time with family or at the beach.

Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.

Robin Wall Kimmerer