Episode 5 – Noe Kalipi
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Born and raised in Hilo, HI, married to Gaylen Kalipi and has 2 children, Hau'oli & Ku'uipo. Serves as Senior Advisor for the Hawaii Coordination Cell which serves as the Department of War's dedicated office in Hawaii to align land use, energy, installations, environmental planning with national security requirements and the needs of Hawaiʻi’s communities.
In this episode of Pilali, cohosts Ashley and Wren sit down with Noe Kalipi to explore leadership, community engagement, and the complex intersections of land, policy, and military presence in Hawaiʻi. Noe shares her journey from growing up in Hilo to working in Washington, D.C. as a congressional intern for Senator Daniel Akaka during the era of the Apology Resolution. She reflects on how those early experiences shaped her understanding of reconciliation, public service, and the importance of approaching governance with aloha and humility.
Ashley and Wren discuss Noe’s work building relationships between institutions and communities, including her time with the Kohala Institute and current role navigating issues related to U.S. military land leases in Hawaiʻi. The conversation highlights the importance of community participation, ancestral knowledge, and dialogue across differences. Noe emphasizes the need to hold space for disagreement while building shared understanding, and reflects on how meaningful change often happens through small cracks in large systems when people commit to showing up with integrity and care for place.