Aloha!

Itʻs a real honor to be serving as president of the HEA board. I’m well acquainted with the work of HEA through Joan Kamila Lewis, my wife, who served as HEA’s president for a number of years. Now that Joan is serving Hawai‘i’s education community as deputy executive director of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA), I’m looking forward to working with the other board members to help HEA advance its mission of supporting all educators to be the best they can be.

HEA has an admirable track record of supporting educators along the entire continuum of their careers. This includes high school students who aspire to be educators, college students who are pursuing teaching as a career, and veteran teachers who want to learn more and strive to be better educators.

As a freshman seminar teacher at Kapolei High School, where I’ve been serving for the past decade, I get to help young students navigate the demands of high school. We review the importance of good study habits, time management and other basic skills to succeed in high school and beyond. Freshman year is also the time when many start to choose a career path, including teaching.

As educators, we know that learning is a life-long endeavor. We never stop learning and growing. One thing that Iʻve learned from Joan is that improving the lives of educators and students can take on many different dimensions. In my previous work as a recreation director throughout various communities including the Wai’anae Coast, Mililani, Palama Settlement, and Kapolei, I’ve also learned that community support for education is an essential part of that work. Supporting educators and the students they serve are investment that benefit communities in every way measurable.

I’m committed to continuous learning and believe it’s important to keep growing. I am also committed to making sure that connecting for the greater good is a part of what I do. As HEA president, I want to support students and teachers with opportunities to learn, grow and connect. I know the more we support their journey, the more we all benefit.

Thank you again for giving me this great opportunity to serve.

Mahalo,

Christopher Lewis
President
HEA Board of Directors