Our Staff
Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director
Wayne became the Director for the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi in October of 2021. Wayne has committed his adult life to protecting Hawaiʻi’s diverse environment and the unique culture that grows along with it.
Wayne came to the Club after serving for a decade in the Public Policy Program at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. His passion for native ecosystems and community-based resource management also led him to serve on the Board of Directors of the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi, and on the founding board of the then-newly minted Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo. He has also authored and co-authored book chapters and essays on konohiki fishing rights, Papahānaumokuākea, nearshore fisheries management, indigenous food sovereignty, and the intersection of race and politics in Hawaiʻi, among other topics.
He is a licensed attorney and an engineer. He is a graduate of University of Hawaiʻi’s William S. Richardson School of Law, Harvey Mudd College, and Punahou School.
Wayne grew up on Oʻahu, exploring the tide pools of Wāwāmalu, the streams of Kāne‘ohe and He‘eia, and the ridgelines of the Koʻolau mountain range. He enjoys fishing and cooking what he catches.
Kirsten Kagimoto, Deputy Director
With a love for all things nature, Kirsten joined the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi's team in 2016. Driven by her desire to see the do good-ers of the islands succeed, while recognizing that the issues that our communities face are complex—she strives to demystify the issues at hand to help the Sierra Club build people power for a livable future. Kirsten was a Marine Conservation Fellow at The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, a Kupu Hawaiʻi Youth Conservation Corps alumni, and holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. A DIY-er at heart, Kirsten also teaches community yoga classes and enjoys hiking, diving and vegan baking. Now residing on Kauaʻi, she spends her time enjoying country life, exploring the outdoors with her husband and daughter, and playing with her dog, goat, cats, chickens, and bunny.
Rebekah Garrison, Administrative & Advancement Associate
You probably recognize Becka as our former Collaborative Red Hill Organizer and a founding member of the Oʻahu Water Protectors and the Shut Down Red Hill Coalition. Dr. Rebekah Garrison now joins our team as an Administrative and Advancement Associate. Rebekah is a queer white settler woman born and raised in Humboldt County, Northern California–the Indigenous homelands of the Hupa, Karuk, Mattole, Wiyot, and Yurok peoples. Centering island activist networks and voices in Bieké, Guåhan, and Hawaiʻi, her scholarship and community work within grassroots movements reimagine the possibilities of Indigenous-settler solidarity. Becka received her Ph.D from the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California (2021) and is a proud graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa where she received her BA (2006) and MA (2010) degrees in Spanish. She is a water drinker currently living in Mānoa. Ola i ka wai!
Lauren Watanabe, Chapter Organizer and Communications
Lauren Ballesteros (she/her/ella) is a Xicana, writer, actor, and filmmaker with ties to East Los Angeles spanning four generations. Her identity informs her passion for radical storytelling and empowering others to speak their truth. Her journey to Hawaiʻi began with attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, after which worked as a community/political organizer with UNITE HERE Local 5. There she discovered a profound sense of purpose in connecting deeply rooted values to movement building. Throughout her time at Local 5, Lauren worked on several campaigns in alliance with diverse community leaders, students, and organizations, as well as created art based protests for actions and rallies. She also spent years back home in East L.A reconnecting with her roots at CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights where she learned the transformative power of reclaiming our narratives and art as a conduit for healing. Since then she has written, produced, and performed in several stage plays and short films with and for Latinx, Queer, and BIPOC voices.
Lauren is also a mother of two little ones who keep her days adventurous and heart full to keep fighting for a future that is liberated, colorful, and rooted in aloha ʻāina and indigenous knowledge.
Sharde Mersberg Freitas, Chapter Organizer
Sharde is a Native Hawaiian mother, daughter, ʻāina justice warrior, hula practitioner, and community organizer. Together with her husband, they raise their five children ma ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Sharde was born and raised on the west side of Oʻahu, but recently moved to Hawaiʻi Island. Her interest in health and justice stems from a young age when she would spend time with her grandparents, and knowing that there must be a better way. Sharde’s formal educational training is in public health and law. She continues to advocate for a multi-dimensional, transdisciplinary approach to improving Native Hawaiian health, that inherently honors the reciprocal relationship between humans and ʻāina, and provides holistic healing for the family, broader community, and plans for generations to come.
Madison Owens, Collaborative Red Hill Organizer
Madison Owens, a recent graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, holds a degree in Political Science and Ethics with a minor in Sociology. Originally from Southern California, Madison is dedicated to upholding her settler responsibilities and advocates for the demilitarization and Indigenization of Hawaiian lands. Actively involved in grassroots organizations, like the Shut Down Red Hill Coalition and the Community Representative Initiative, Madison tirelessly works towards the protection of our wai and our ʻāina. Madison plans to attend law school, with the focus on Native Hawaiian Rights and Environmental Law.
Jessica Raina Myers, Maui Volunteer Coordinator
Jessica “Raina” Myers began her journey with the Sierra Club by immersing herself in the East Maui Stream monitoring program. She also served on the ExCom for the last year before being hired as the new volunteer coordinator. A passionate homesteader along the Honopou stream, Raina nurtures a bountiful array of lilikoi and tropical fruits with love. She has always understood the importance of water resources and is passionate about protecting Maui’s precious and unique ecosystem. Her dedication to the cause was sparked by the invaluable stream restoration efforts of the Sierra Club in East Maui, leading her to volunteer in the monitoring program. Raina's environmental commitment has been lifelong, from childhood trash cleanups to co-leading monthly sustainability meetings in her hometown of Akron, Ohio. She came to Maui for massage school in 2019 and has experienced deep healing from the ocean and waters of Maui.