Meet Our Board Members
Steven, Ipo, and "Babes" Malina have dedicated their. lives to living and sharing their belief of
"Love Mother Earth"
Steven Bolosan, Board of Directors
Chair President
Steven Bolosan is the Mahi’ai Kalo (Kalo Farmer), Board of Director President, and Co-Founder for Nā Mea Kūpono Learning Center. His experience spans over 25 years, beginning with his plant-growing passion from a young age. He grew up in Hale’iwa, Oahu, and has been learning about plants and farming ever since.
From those years of experience came a realization that modern farming methods are not sustainable for the planet. In 2012, while looking for farming alternatives, a friend told him about a Cho Global Natural Farming Class. Steven has been a practitioner ever since, and this method of farming is used at Nā Mea Kūpono. Steven has even gotten the opportunity to fly to Korea on several occasions for Natural Farming conferences.
Steven’s love of kalo, farming, and the natural world is infused in everything he does. He believes that planting kalo is the first step to planting seeds of aloha in the hearts of every person to visit the farm. He uses his knowledge to guide, teach, and inspire keiki, visitors, and the community.
Joseph "Babes" William K. N. Malina Jr.
Board of Directors; Treasurer
Joseph “Babes” Malina's love for the ‘āina started in 1978. He grew up living out his kuleana (responsibility) to take care of the land. For him, this was a way of life; he had always understood the importance of stewardship and sustainable living. As a teenager, he gravitated towards building cars, and was always finding ways to work with his hands.
It wasn’t until over 40 years later that Babe's childhood knowledge would come back into play. He plays a crucial role in educating the community and keiki. Babes is connected to the ‘āina by his experiences, love of his family, and because taking care of this land “is just the pono (right) thing to do”. He believes we can plant and grow aloha in the land and the world.
"We farm Aloha."
Felicita("Felis" ,"Ku’uipo") Garrido
Executive Board of Directors & Secretary
Ku‘uipo Garrido brings her 25 years of experience as a certified Hawaiian Studies teacher and 6 years of experience working for the Lili‘uokalani Trust into her work at Nā Mea Kūpono Learning Center.
Her background in farming and Hawaiian history spans across decades, and multiple countries. She has toured Brazil, Tahiti, Guam, Palau, and Saipan as a professional singer in a reggae band in her youth. She also visited Canada and New Zealand to attend educational conferences. Traveling the world gave Ku‘uipo insights into how Indigenous peoples all around the world have so much to teach us about taking care of the land for generations to come.
Ku’uipo is a kumu hula of over 20 years. She served as the President of Nā Lei Lani o Waialua for 2 years, a trustee for the Waialua Community Association for one term, and a graduate of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with a BA in Creative Media and a Certificate in Hawaiian Studies.
Throughout her myriad roles, Ku’uipo is passionate about working the ‘āina for over 20 years and counting. She combines her background in education with her farming wisdom to keep the Nā Mea Kūpono mission and vision aligned. Her kuleana (responsibility) is to plan, schedule, execute meetings, and create all the program curricula.
