Our Team

Board Officers

Susan Scott, President & Treasurer

A former registered nurse, Susan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa and is a graduate of the university’s Marine Option Program, where she studied marine journalism. From 1987 to 2020, Susan wrote a weekly column called “OceanWatch” for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. She is the author, and coauthor, of 12 books about nature in Hawaiʻi. Due to her interest in seabirds and shorebirds, Susan became a lifetime member of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society in 1988. In 2022, the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s Board of Directors elected her president, and in 2024, she accepted the additional role of treasurer.

Elizabeth Kumabe-Maynard, VP

Elizabeth began her studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a marine biology degree and continued with advanced degrees in secondary science education and education technology. She continued her interests and passion for environmental stewardship and outreach in an environmental education extension agent with Hawaiʻi Sea Grant for 30 years. Since 1966, Liz has served in various positions, including president, on the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s Board of Directors, enabling her to learn and share facts about Hawaiʻi birds and their unique habitats.

Wendy Johnson, Recording Secretary

Wendy earned a master’s degree in Environmental Public Health from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa and subsequently worked as a research assistant at Oceanic Institute, and a lecturer at Honolulu Community College. From 1992 through 1999, Wendy coordinated “Paradise Pursuits,” a local environmental TV quiz show for high school students, featuring teams from Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. Sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, the program sparked Wendy’s interest in birds. She joined the Board of Directors to “learn everything I could about Hawaiʻi’s birds… and still learning.”

Board Directors

Mike Carion

Mike’s bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from Cal Poly Humboldt served him well as a game warden for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Mike enjoyed a 34-year career with the department, eventually becoming Chief of Law Enforcement. After retiring, Mike worked for a nonprofit conservation organization in their fundraising division and assisted the state of Hawaiʻi in organizing a Game Warden academy for new hires. In 2020, Mike and wife, Nicole Carion, moved to Hawaiʻi Island where they lead bird walks and give talks to help educate people about the importance of protecting and appreciating Hawaii’s birds. This birding interest brought Mike to the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society where he joined the board in 2024.

Yvonne Chan, PhD

Originally from California, Yvonne is a conservation geneticist by training, earning a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Yvonne is the founder and director of ‘Iolani School’s Office of Community Science, a program that supports hundreds of student research projects and empowers schools statewide to perform hands-on conservation science, from stream restoration to classroom genomics. Yvonne’s bird work began at Hakalau with native honeycreepers and continued at Point Reyes Bird Observatory with tidal-marsh Song Sparrows, spanning field sites from Alaska to the Bay Area to Hawai‘i. She has taught Avian Biology at the University of Hawai‘i and published on song sparrows, tidal-marsh birds, and conservation genetics.

Rich Downs

Rich Downs is a biologist with Pacific Rim Conservation and serves as director of Hui Manu o Kū, a group that since 2016 works to coordinate efforts among government agencies, educational institutions, and conservation groups to enhance awareness, appreciation, and conservation of the White Tern (Manu o Kū). Rich also leads the Hui’s White Tern Citizen Science project, which engages the community in gathering data to better understand this understudied species and its unique relationship with urban Honolulu. Rich has co-authored peer-reviewed scientific papers on White Terns, published in journals such as The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, and his work has been featured by media outlets including the Smithsonian Institution and the BBC. He joined the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society to further connect people with Hawaiʻi’s birdlife and advocate for science-based conservation.

John Harrison, PhD

John earned a PhD in Zoology from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, followed by a successful career as a marine scientist and consultant in California, the South Pacific and Hawaiʻi. John was invited to join the Board of Directors in 1988 as a liaison between the Society and the University of Hawaiʻi’s Environmental Center, where John was director. John worked for decades to broaden HAS's environmental policies in the face of encroaching human pressure on natural Hawaiian habitats. John served as the president of Hawaiʻi Audubon Society from 2008 to 2012. In 2021, John returned as board member where he offered invaluable guidance in post-pandemic management issues. John continues his long-standing support of the Society’s mission of educating the public about Hawaiʻi’s birds and protecting the habitats they need to survive.

Wendy Kuntz, PhD

Wendy’s interest in Hawaiʻi’s endemic forest birds resulted in a Ph.D. in Zoology, Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa. As a biology professor at Kapiʻolani Community College, Wendy is active in mentoring students interested in research. Wendy helps students design projects to address hypotheses in conservation biology and animal behavior, employing both lab experiments and field work. Wendy is the faculty advisor for the Ecology Club at KCC and created (and leads) the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s “Kōlea Quest,” an annual June trip to Nome, Alaska to visit Pacific Golden-Plovers and other migratory shorebirds that winter in the Islands.

Pat Moriyasu

Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry and environmental interpretation from Colorado State University. Subsequently, Pat worked for the National Park Service at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Haleakalā National Park, the Research Corporation of University of Hawaiʻi, Redwood National Park, De Soto National Memorial, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and the USS Arizona Memorial. From 2004 through 2016, Pat was the budget analyst for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Pat helped digitize the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s Elepaio journal and joined the board to work with others who share her love of birds. As leader of the Hawaiʻi’s Birds update committee, Pat is instrumental in keeping the Society’s guidebook current.

Jay Penniman

Jay’s passion for birds began in Pennsylvania as a teen, continuing into his college years in the Pacific Northwest. In the early 1980s, Jay turned his recreational passion to a professional career when he was hired as a Farallon Biologist with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. This led to his recruitment by Dr. Fern Duvall in 2006 to create the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project where he continues to work as the group’s development specialist. In this role, Jay has made significant contributions to seabird conservation, including rediscovering the endangered ʻuaʻu nesting on Lānaʻi and establishing seabird monitoring and habitat restoration projects. He has built a dedicated team of early career biologists to restore endangered and native seabird populations and engage the community in conservation efforts. He has collaborated with numerous Hawaiian conservation entities to restore critical habitats for seabirds. With a focus on addressing knowledge gaps and restoring seabird populations, Jay continues to work closely with seabird managers and biologists statewide, always with binoculars at hand to appreciate the diverse avian life around him.

Alice Roberts

Alice’s master’s degree in botany from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa led her to an 18 years-long career teaching science at Maryknoll High School, as well as driving a school bus to take her students on about 50 field trips a year. As an active member of HAS since 1969 and a Board of Directors for decades, Alice has led bird and plant tours at Paiko Lagoon, Hickam Air Force Base, and organized trips to Bishop Museum and Brigham Young University Hawaiʻi’s museum. She has managed the cultivation of endemic and indigenous plants at the Society’s Freeman Seabird Preserve, and contributed to new editions of the Society’s book, Hawaii’s Birds.

Colleen Soares, PhD

After growing up in Northern California, Colleen worked her way through the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to earn a Ph.D in Education, emphasizing writing and second language learning. Colleen taught writing and research for 25 years at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, UH West Oʻahu, Leeward Community College, Windward Community College and in American Samoa at Tafuna High School. Colleen has led hikes and service trips for the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Mānoa Cliff Program, Heʻeia Kea Fishpond, Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve and Mt. Kaʻala Natural Area Reserve, and for the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, leading bird walks.

HAS Board meetings are usually held from 6:30pm to 8:30pm on the third Monday of every other month. The January Board meeting is held in conjunction with the annual Board Retreat. Contact us for details at office@hiaudubon.org.

Staff and Volunteers

Keith Swindle, CWB, Executive Director

Keith earned a bachelor of science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management with a minor in Forestry at Michigan State University, became a Certified Wildlife Biologist and acquired a master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. Keith conducted 36 years of conservation stewardship with 10 years studying threatened forest birds as a Faculty Research Assistant for the Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at Oregon State University, then 26 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), first as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist in Oregon, then as a Special Agent for the FWS in California, Washington DC, and Hawaiʻi. Keith was promoted to Resident Agent in Charge of Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Territories and Possessions in the Pacific. Keith finished his career of public service by working as the FWS Wildlife Enforcement Attaché to the Horn of Africa. Keith has worked (too much) or bird watched (not enough) in nearly all 56 states and territories, and 44 countries on 5 continents and counting. Keith began working as the Society’s executive director in January, 2025. The board is honored to have Keith’s guidance and experience in working with the Society and for Hawaiʻi’s birds.

Elena Arinaga, Education & Outreach Manager

Elena is a business communications major with a global perspective who studied at KU Leuven in Belgium before moving to Hawaiʻi to be closer to her father’s family. Her career has been shaped by a variety of experiences, including multiple sessions at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and with the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office. She also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Hawaiʻi Green Growth, where she worked on impactful sustainable initiatives. Deeply passionate about preserving native species and protecting the ʻāina, Elena is dedicated to sharing the joy of Hawaiʻi’s birds with people of all ages, from keiki to kupuna.

David Johnson, JD, Attorney

Dave has been a professional engineer for 45 years and an attorney for 40 years. These disciplines have led Dave to birds in that the miracle of avian aerodynamics appeals to him (he’s also a pilot), and the legal environment that has permitted the endangerment and extinction of so many birds. By generously sharing his scientific and legal skills with the Society, Dave helps the Society stay legal and keep soaring. Dave has lived in Hawaiʻi for the past 30 years, where he has been pleasantly surrounded by bird lovers who inform him about the fragility of Hawaiʻi’s bird populations, and ways we must protect them.

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