I’m an Assistant Professor in the Human Development and Family Science Program in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. My professional interests sit at the intersection of relationships, culture, place, and clinical training. Broadly, I focus on how couples and families build resilience across the life course, and how helping practices can be designed to fit the lived realities of Hawaiʻi’s diverse communities.

My research and program development work emphasizes practice-based evidence (learning from what is working in real settings) and experiential, relational approaches that extend beyond the traditional office (for example, nature- and ʻāina-based contexts and other embodied, reflective learning environments). I’m especially interested in strengthening the mental health workforce in Hawaiʻi through high-quality, culturally responsive training in marriage and family therapy, including supervision, deliberate practice methods, and pathways that support emerging clinicians from undergraduate exposure through graduate preparation and licensure.

In teaching and mentoring, I aim to help students think systemically and ecologically about human development and relationships, while developing the clinical and research skills needed to serve individuals, couples, and families with humility and effectiveness.