Leadership team
ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY leadership is composed of senior administrative members who make up the Leadership Team, which is responsible for developing policy, overseeing the day-to-day operations, personnel matters, and relationships with constituents.
ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY's Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance, policies, and resources that ensure the school's sustainability, within the context of how a financial, programmatic, or physical facility issue relates to the school's overall mission.
Leadership Team
Gerald Teramae
Steve Ross
Dr. Brandy Sato
Michelle Bradley
Eileen Novak
Be-Jay Kodama
Greg Terhune
Camille Pinard
Kent Nakata
Director of Facilities
Shannon Vasilash
Board of Trustees
Martha
Camacho
Martha Camacho
Martha Camacho is a senior vice president and area manager for First Hawaiian Bank. She is currently assigned to the Waipahu area with direct management over Waipahu Branch and oversight for Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Waianae branches.
Martha joined First Hawaiian Bank in February 1986 as a loan representative at the Agana Branch, now the Maite Branch on Guam. She became the manager of the largest branch on Guam in 1990 until her move to Hawaii in June 2001. Since then she has held various positions including small business banker, branch manager, deputy manager in the residential department, and area manager.
Martha’s community involvement has included St Anthony Catholic School advisory board (Guam), University of Guam School of Business advisory board member, and St Francis School (Mānoa) board. She received a BBA from the University of Guam and an MBA from the University of Phoenix as well as masters-level extension programs from Bank Administration Institute and Pacific Coast Banking School.
Pat
Liu
Patricia N. Liu
Ms. Liu was born and raised in Michigan where she received her BA from the College of Education at Michigan State University and taught in both public and private schools. After moving to Hawaiʻi in 1972, she earned her MEd in Educational Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi and continued her career as a teacher and administrator, primarily in independent schools.
Prior to her retirement from ‘Iolani School, Ms. Liu was the Director of Admission for over 20 years. As the Director, she was responsible for all aspects of the Admission Department. She marketed the school to potential candidates and families, developed and implemented policies and procedures, created application and marketing materials, presented information to the Board, and oversaw the assessment of more than 1,600 candidates each year. In all, Ms. Liu spent 27 years at ‘Iolani, first as a teacher and then as the Associate Director of Admission before becoming the Director.
Ms. Liu also worked in a small private school in Wahiawa where she was a teacher and vice-principal for seven years, and she did contract work for the DOE.
In addition to being on the board at Island Pacific Academy, Ms. Liu is a board member at Pacific Buddhist Academy and Hoʻala Foundation for Education. She was a founding member of the Hoʻala School Board and served on the Central Union Preschool Board. She chaired the Hawaiʻi Association of Independent School Admission Directors’ constituent group, served nationally as a cohort on the Secondary School Admission Test Boards’ Experienced Admission Professionals team, and was a member of the Educational Records Bureau testing committee.
Of all the people who influenced her life, it was Ms. Liu’s father, Dr. Edwin Novak, who “gifted” her with the desire to serve others, especially those whose voices often go unheard. Her passion is education, and her goal is to make a difference, one student at a time.
Mike
Rompel
Mike Rompel
Mike Rompel is a husband and father of 4 who leads by foundational principles. Mike is a restaurant operator with 27 years of experience, with a history of turning underperforming businesses into profitable businesses, by focussing on the selection and development of people that are looking for an opportunity to experience the more abundant life. Mike is an entry level employer who looks to teach basic work skills that carry with his team members throughout their lives and careers. Mike is joining the board to see our keiki have the best faculty, and facility, that provide the greatest opportunity for our keiki to be beneficial worldwide contributors who reach their goals and dreams!
Del
Mochizuki
Del Mochizuki
Del Mochizuki is the Controller for UHA Health Insurance, where she has served for the past five years. Prior to her position at UHA, she was an audit supervisor with Accuity LLP.
Mochizuki is the Founder and Facilitator of Beyond the Book, a book club whose membership includes CEOs and other diverse leaders who meet to gain and share knowledge and different perspectives. Her work in the community includes the Hawaiʻi Health @ Work Alliance and the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi.
Mochizuki was recently selected as a Pacific Century Fellow and is currently part of the 2020 cohort. She received her BBA in Accounting from the University of Hawaiʻi and is also a certified yoga instructor.
Denise
Becherer
Denise Becherer
Denise Becherer is a Senior Sale Representative for Medtronic Neuromodulation for the Hawaiian Islands. She has over 20 years of sales, market development and territory management experience for the global leader in medical technology services and solutions.
Denise started her career at Medtronic in 1998 in Hawaiʻi as a Clinical Specialist and was promoted to Sales Representative in 1999. Her role at Medtronic over the years has been to develop, grow and support physicians, patients and hospital systems in the area of Interventional Pain Management and Spasticity therapies. Prior to Medtronic, her experience as a RN included Case Management for Private Duty Agencies and United Health Care Insurance. Previous roles in Home Health Nursing and OB/GYN hospital based care were her initial ventures in the health care sector.
Denise resides in Makakilo with her husband Rich. She and her husband are Alumni parents and their daughter Liz is a graduate of the class of 2013 of ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY. She has been on the IPA board since 2013, Chair from 2015-2017. Previous board experience with the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawaiʻi, 1998-2004. She received her RN degree from Deaconess College of Nursing and Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from University of Missouri St. Louis, MO.
Susan
Eichor
Susan K Eichor
Susan is the president and chief operating officer of aio, a diverse family of companies, dedicated to living and promoting the unique values of Hawaiʻi, its culture and its people. aio’s brands include the publications Hawaiʻi Business, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Home + Remodeling; ESPN 1420 AM and NBC Sports Radio AM 1500; Upspring; Watermark Publishing; Obun Hawaiʻi; B Hayman; Punaluʻu Bake Shop and Pagoda Restaurant. In addition, the aio Foundation is a nonprofit whose goal is to make Hawaiʻi a better place, through programs that help young people become self-sustaining, community-minded individuals.
Prior to aio, Susan was part of the Verizon Hawaiʻi leadership team and has also served as a strategic advisor for telecommunications companies in the Pacific.
Susan’s current board service includes HPM Building Supply, U.S.-Japan Council, Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Bowl Executive Committee, Diamond Head Theatre, and UH - Shidler College of Business Advisory Council.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Susan is a proud alumna of Lunalilo Elementary, Washington Middle and McKinley High Schools. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi. Susan and her husband, Rick, reside in Kaimuki with their Jack Russell terriers, Penny and Nickel.
Daniel
Lee
Daniel Lee
Daniel Lee began his professional career in the insurance industry in 2005 with The Hartford in San Antonio, TX. He assumed various roles throughout his tenure with the company with each being focused on commercial P&C underwriting. His roles included Small and Middle Market underwriting, Industry Manager for Healthcare and Real Estate, and Regional Underwriting and Sales Manager in Dallas.
Prior to joining Island Insurance, Lee also worked as a casualty wholesale broker working on tough to place commercial risks. He joined Island Insurance to oversee the commercial lines division in October 2018. He’s been fortunate to have been blessed with terrific people and leadership surrounding him throughout his career. He feels equally as fortunate to have had the opportunity to join a wonderful organization in Island who genuinely lives and breathes supporting the local community here in Hawaiʻi.
Lee was born and raised in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Finance. He is an avid sports fan and a loyal supporter of Oklahoma Sooner athletics. He resides in Kailua with his wife Amanda and 2 children, Sophie (3) and Ezra (8 weeks). He also has a 3rd child that has a bit more fur than the other two, the family dog, Izzy. All 5 love being outside and enjoying the natural beauty of our world. While he and his wife are a bit tired these days with an infant at home, they are most passionate about the time and experiences they’re able to share together as a family.
Wendell
Lee
Susan
Murray
Susan Murray
Susan Murray is the Senior Vice President of The Queen’s Health Systems, West Oʻahu Region and Chief Operating Officer of The Queen’s Medical Center – West Oʻahu. She has been with Queen’s West since January 2013 and led the team that opened the hospital in early 2014. Her duties include coordinating Queen’s development of services and programs for the West Oʻahu region, as well as overseeing the Queen’s West Oʻahu campus and hospital.
Murray’s previous position was the Hawaiʻi Regional Hospital Administrator and Regional Vice President for Quality, Safety, and Service for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospital.
She is an active West Oʻahu leader and meets regularly with community groups to listen to their concerns, challenges, and dreams for the area. In taking on her current position, Murray noted how Queen’s West would advance the mission of its founders, which is to care for Native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawai’i by providing quality healthcare in perpetuity.
Murray is a graduate of Punahou School and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. IPA was proud to honor Susan Murray for her community leadership at its 2018 Grand Expedition gala.
Keith
Ogata
Kevin
O'Keefe
Cayenne
Peʻa
Cayenne Peʻa
Cayenne Peʻa is a principal and co-founder at Alakaʻi Development, a residential development firm whose mission is to meet the need of Hawaii’s housing shortage by developing quality rental residences. Projects in Alakaʻi Development’s pipeline include The Element, a 318-unit rental community in West Oʻahu, and a mixed-use rental community with an elementary school in Kakaako.
Prior to Alakaʻi Development, Peʻa worked as Director of Finance for Forest City Hawaiʻi, a full-service real estate corporation that performed development, construction, property management, and asset management services with a $2B balance sheet. She led a team that analyzed new business, maintained accounting records, and produced financial reports for 6,700 military housing units, a 271-acre master-planned community, and six photovoltaic farms, which included partnerships with both the Department of the Navy and State of Hawaiʻi. During her tenure at Forest City, Peʻa worked to obtain both construction and term loans and maintained $1.3 billion in revenue bonds. She also led the sale of a four-megawatt PV portfolio that was financed through new market tax credits (NMTC) in conjunction with Federal 1603 Grants and State refundable tax credits.
Before joining Forest City in 2008 Peʻa was a Senior Auditor with Deloitte where she served a variety of publicly traded and privately held companies. Peʻa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Peʻa is a member of the YWCA Oahu Board of Directors and Finance Committee. She also co-chairs the Make‐A‐Wish Hawaiʻi Young Leaders Board, in addition to volunteering as a wish granter.
Eric
Seitz
Gerald
Teramae
Gerald Teramae
Gerald Teramae has been an elementary school teacher and school administrator in both the public and private schools in the State of Hawaii. Gerald was an elementary school teacher at Maʻili Elementary School, Kalihi Uka Elementary School and Honowai Elementary School. He has been a school administrator at Waipahu Intermediate School, Nanakuli Intermediate and High School, Aliʻiolani Elementary School, Jarrett Middle School and Kalani High School. His independent school experiences have been at Iolani as Dean of Lower School and currently he is the Head of School at Island Pacific Academy since 2014.
Lance
Wilhelm
Lance Wilhelm
Lance Wilhelm is the President and founder of The Wilhelm Group LLC, a multi-
disciplinary development consultancy and construction management company.
Lance launched his firm in early 2017 to meet the needs of a growing and
diverse building industry. With clients in the public and private sectors, The
Wilhelm Group (TWG) works to bring meaningful and impactful improvements to
Hawaii's built environment through program, project and construction
management engagements. Leveraging Lance's unique background in
contracting and development, TWG also works to bring various entities involved
in the construction and real estate industries together through partnering
facilitation and disputes resolution services.
Prior to launching his own firm, Wilhelm was the managing principal for Irongate,
the owner and developer of the Trump International Hotel Waikīkī Beach Walk
and the brand new Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach. Before joining
Irongate, he held the position of senior vice president for Hawaiʻi operations at
Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., where he ran Kiewit’s local contracting business.
In addition to his executive oversight of Kiewit’s construction operations and new
business pursuits, he was directly responsible for Kiewit’s contracts totaling $1.1
billion for the first three contracts for Honolulu’s rail transit system.
Lance serves on various industry and trade organizations and is active in the
construction and real estate development industries, having served as President
of the General Contractors Association of Hawaiʻi, West Oʻahu Economic
Development Association, and the Hawaiʻi Developers’ Council. He is a board
member for several non-profit and industry organizations including the YMCA of
Honolulu, Island Pacific Academy, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Waikīkī
Improvement Association, Move Oʻahu Forward and previously served on the
boards for the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, Aloha Council-Boy Scouts of
America and the American Heart Association. Lance is also actively engaged in
labor relations, serving as trustee on a number of union trust funds. In 2012,
Lance was appointed as trustee for the Kamehameha School and in 2016 was
re-appointed to serve a second term. He is currently vice chair.
Lance graduated from the Kamehameha Schools in 1983 and attended the
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he received a bachelor of arts in
communications.
Peter
Young
Peter Young
Peter Young is the Director of Pricing in the Regulatory Affairs area of the Hawaiian Electric Company, responsible primarily for design and administration of electric rates and cost recovery mechanisms. He has over 30 years of service, including over 20 years in the regulatory area.
Young appreciates the value of the small private school educational experience: his son attended Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy, and his two daughters attended St. Andrew's Priory. In support of his daughters' experience, Young served as President of the Parent Teacher Fellowship organization from 2010-2014. In that role, Young served on the St. Andrew's Priory Board of Trustees as a non-voting member and participated in the strategic planning assessment that resulted in the development of the boys' coordinate K-5 school program as one pillar of the Priory's development plan.
909 Haumea StreetKapolei, HI 96707(808) 674-3523