Meet our Board Members
Dorothy C. Sievert, Ph.D., President
Dorothy Sievert (Dottie) earned a BA in Spanish from Purdue University, MA in Spanish Literature at Loyola University-Chicago, and a Ph.D in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Loyola University-Chicago. She began her career in education as a Spanish teacher in high schools in Denver, Colorado and in the Chicago suburbs. She then joined the administrative team as a Dean of Students at Willowbrook High School, Associate Principal at York High School, and Principal at Crete-Monee High School and at Wheeling High School.
After her retirement from the Principalship in 2007, she taught at Concordia University and was a State of Illinois Mentor to new high school principals in the northwest suburbs. She has been a Rotarian since 2001 and attends meetings of the Poipu Beach Rotary Club and is a Past President of the Wheeling Rotary Club. Dottie resides in Koloa. with her husband, Pete. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
Joseph Daisy, Vice President
Joseph Daisy became chancellor at Kauai Community College on February 3, 2020. He has more than 42 years of experience in secondary education as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, and in higher education.
Prior to his appointment at Kauaʻi CC, Daisy was president and CEO of the College of Micronesia-Federated States of Micronesia, a role in which he served from 2012. Before that, at Cambridge College in Massachusetts, he was executive vice president; vice president for college affairs and enrollment management; assistant vice president for policy, research and communications; and director of research and evaluation. Also at Cambridge College, Daisy was a senior faculty member in the School of Education’s graduate programs in education, leadership and research; and founding director of the doctor of education degree program.
Daisy has successfully addressed accreditation issues, facilitated the establishment of a 501(c)(3)foundation, and worked collaboratively to achieve student-centered learning. His professional and personal journey has led him to public, private, and nonprofit organizations, domestically and internationally.
He holds a doctorate in education in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a master of education in educational administration, and a bachelor of arts in history from Suffolk University.
Daisy noted, “I am pleased to have been selected to serve on the board of GOOTOK, and look forward to supporting its important mission to address the critical need for teachers on Kauai.”
Rebecca K. Fries, Ed.D., Treasurer
Rebecca K. Fries, Ed.D. is a retired educator of 34 years with experience as a school psychologist, elementary counselor, Coordinator of Diagnostic Services, and Director of Special Education for a school district and a Special Education Cooperative. She received her B.A. in education from Concordia University Chicago, her M.A. from The University of Iowa, and her Ed.D. from the University of Illinois. She has been a member of Rotary International since 1989 and is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Po’ipu Beach. She has also been a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, an International Society of Women Educators since 1988, and is a member of the Eta Chapter here on Kauai. Rebecca is a member of The Mokihana Club, a Kauai Women’s Service Organization, was their Historian for 5 years, and currently is the chair of the Nursing Scholarship Committee. She has been a volunteer at the National Tropical Botanical Garden since 2010 and was last year’s nominee for the Older American Award. Rebecca is also a member of the Friends of Kauai Community College Committee. She is also a Site Leader for the NOAA Annual Whale Count on Kauai and spends her free time gardening and playing golf.
Monique Kan-Souza, Secretary
Jennifer Hreljac, Director
Jennifer Williams Hreljac was born and raised in Southern California. She moved to Kauai in 2000 where she raised her family. She attended San Diego State University and received her BS in Physics and BA in Music. She returned to SDSU to earn her Masters of Science in Information and Decision Systems. She worked as a System Design Engineer for many years. She later worked and retired from Thomson Reuters Legal, where she covered the Hawaiian Islands and the South Pacific. Upon retiring, she started working in the Lihue schools, teacher at Wilcox Elementary and Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. Being a GOOT Award recipient, she received her teaching credential in 2021 and has been working as a STEM teacher and IT coordinator at CKMS. She loves working with students and teachers and giving back to the community.
Paul Holwegner, Director
Paul Holwegner is an accomplished educator with a strong background in science and educational technology. He earned both his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Master of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Delaware in 2002.
Holwegner began his teaching career in Delaware, where he taught middle school science for four years. Following this, he moved to Hawaii, continuing his work as a science teacher for another four years at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School (CKMS). His dual expertise in science and technology provided him with a unique skill set to engage students and enhance the learning experience.
Currently, Paul Holwegner serves as the Technology Integration Coach at CKMS. In this role, he leverages his extensive knowledge to help fellow educators effectively incorporate technology into their curriculum, improving instructional practices and student outcomes.
Jean Morris, Director
Jean Morris was born and raised on the island of Kauai and is a proud graduate of Kauai High School. Following her education, she dedicated her career to nurturing the minds of young students, spending 6 years as a teacher in Colorado before returning to serve the community that shaped her.
For three decades, Jean worked with Hawaii’s Department of Education, where she held various roles including teacher, counselor, and student services coordinator. She retired in December of 2024 after serving first as a vice-principal for 3 years and as the principal of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School for 4.5 years, before bringing her tenure as an administrator to an end.
With a unique blend of local experience and educational expertise, Jean brings a wealth of knowledge to her role on the board of Growing Our Teachers Kauai. Her academic credentials include a BS in Exercise and Sport Science from Colorado State, an M.Ed in Educational Counseling, and an Administrator Certificate from the University of Phoenix. Deeply invested in the success of Kauai’s schools, she is committed to supporting the next generation of educators on the island.
Kurt Takamine, Ph.D., Ed.D.
Kurt has held various positions in higher education administration and is currently the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Kauaʻi Community College. His career includes prior leadership roles such as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Azusa Pacific University College, where he was a Full Professor, and Dean of Business and Professional Studies at Chapman University College (now UMASS Global) in Southern California. Earlier in his career, he was the Chair of the Organizational Leadership program and an Associate Professor of Leadership at Chapman University.
Kurtʻs educational background includes a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Azusa Pacific University, an Ed.D. in Institutional Management from Pepperdine University, an M.A. in Theology and Ethics from Azusa Pacific University, and an M.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health from California State University Northridge (CSUN). He also holds a B.A. in Human Biology from CSUN and a B.A. in Social Ethics from the University of Southern California.
His wife, Paula, was born on Oʻahu, but her family moved to Torrance when she was in elementary school. She grew up in the Torrance Unified School District, becoming a school counselor, a special education administrator, and a Principal of Torrance Adult School. Their older son is an IT specialist for Toyota Headquarters in Texas, and their younger son is a space technician at Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado.
Kurt was born and raised in Southern California, but his mother was born and raised in ʻEleʻele, Kauaʻi, and his father grew up on Oʻahu in Manoa Valley. Kurt is passionate about providing college students with the training and education that will allow them to stay on the island if they choose and to earn a high-paying wage.
Margaret Sanchez, Director
Margaret Sanchez is a passionate equity driven leader who has 24 years of experience in higher education. She began as Interim Chancellor for Kauai Community College in January of 2023.
Before her appointment as Interim Chancellor, Margaret served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Her office was responsible for ensuring that student services are consistent with the Strategic Plan of the College, reviewing new program proposals, evaluating program outcomes, and recommending personnel actions such as hiring, promotion and tenure.
Before joining the Kauaʻi CC leadership team in 2017, Sanchez served as Dean of Matriculation and Assessment at City College of San Francisco. She served as a trainer and steering committee member for Leading From the Middle, a professional development leadership program dedicated to developing and equipping middle leaders from California Community Colleges.
She also served as both Learning Center Director and MESA Director, a learning community for students pursuing four-year degrees in STEM, at Mendocino College. Sanchez was a bilingual math/science instructor to high school migrant students and served in the U.S. Peace Corps as a middle school science and English instructor and a field education officer in the Southern African country of Botswana.
Nancy Kanna, Honorary Board Member
Nancy Kanna has a varied background in government relations, community outreach and engagement, communications, leadership, and sales and marketing. She has worked in the shrimp aquaculture and real estate industries. She presently is the Interim Executive Director of the Kaua`i Economic Development Board. The Kaua`i Community is her passion, and she sits on several Boards and Community Advisory groups including Growing Our Own Teachers on Kaua‘i, Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation, Hale Opio CP Hui, Kaua’i Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee, Kaua‘i Police Activities League, Rotary Club of Poipu Beach and the Built Environment Task Force. She mentors for the Youth of the Year Program for the Boys and Girls Club.
Nancy lives in Hanapepe with her husband and son.
Kani (DrB) Blackwell, Ph.D., Honorary Board Member
Dr. Kani Blackwell (aka DrB) was an educator for 54 years; starting her career at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and concluding her years of service at University of Hawaii, Manoa. DrB has been a classroom teacher, an elementary school principal of an Arts Specialist school, and was founder of the Fine Arts Magnet Education School (FAME) which continues today.
In 1993, she began her work as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, overseeing twelve K-8 schools with an average daily attendance of 12,500 students After 25 years in public education within the California Department of Education, she returned to where she began, teaching at the university level in 1996. Until recently, DrB was a full time faculty member at University of Hawaii, Manoa (UHM) and served as the Elementary Coordinator for Teacher Education on Kauai. She was instrumental in starting and overseeing the Statewide Teacher Education Program at UHM that exists today which allows teacher candidates to stay on their own island instead of having to move to Oahu to obtain their teaching credential. Before accepting her position at the University of Hawaii in 2003, DrB was a tenured professor in Psychological Foundations of Learning for California State University, Monterey Bay in California.
She applied her doctorate in Cognitive Psychology to Education, researching how children learn. She retired from full-time teaching in 2010 but continued to teach as an adjunct professor for UHM, teaching another 10 years. She retired completely in 2020.
DrB has been an international speaker at research and professional development conferences and is an enthusiastic speaker for service organizations. In 2006, she co-founded with Hanalei Bay Rotary Club, “Growing Our Own Teachers on Kauai” (GOOTOK), a non-profit organization assisting future teachers with their last semester of student teaching. DrB served on the GOOTOK Board of Directors as an advisor. She co-founded Alakai O Kauai Public Charter School, approved by the Hawaii Charter Commission in August of 2016 and opened in the Fall of 2018. DrB served as Chair of the school’s Governing Board from 2014-2020.
Today, DrB is an Honorary Member of the GOOTOK Board and spends her retirement years in joining service organizations: the Mokihana Club, American Association University Women (AAUW), the Kapaa Lions Club, the education organization Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG – Eta Chapter) and the Performing Arts for All (PAFA), a new non-profit for Kauai.