Elena Farden

Name Elena Farden

Age 46

Town/Moku makiki

Island oʻahu

Leadership Category civic engagement

Nominated by Hailama Farden

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

In my community role, I commit myself to research and drafting legislation that advocates for our cultural intellectual property rights and community wealth inclusion. In 2019, my Hawaiian civic club resolution on establishing a Native Hawaiian intellectual property task force to develop a sui generis framework for the protection of our traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) and genetic rights became a Hawaiʻi senate concurrent resolution (SR164). Most recently, Iʻve begun to further build upon this work through my 2021 cohort participation in the Social Innovation Incubator Program (SIIP) in exploring a cooperative model for emerging local designers as a form of support and Native Hawaiian fashion database. I continue to invest research in this area through my current pursuit of my doctorate degree in which I hope to connect the concepts of ʻōiwi enclothed cognition and civic identity.
Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?

Iʻm a first-generation college graduate who grew up in public housing in a single-parent home. I owe it to my mom and all of my ancestors past and present to elevate this path and kuleana

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

Self-awareness and self-reflection is critically important in my continued leadership journey. How I show up, how I interact with others, how I assess my own abilities and areas for growth are important in first managing myself before I can even think about influencing others. One way I practice this is through "truth talks" with my colleague. We make time to debrief after major presentations and Council meetings in order to give each other honest and authentic feedback on our performance. "Truth talks" has to be done with a trusted partner. It can be sore, but the growth that derives from these courageous dialogues have become richer than I ever anticipated.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

Myron Thompson. Without great community champions like Myron Pinky Thompson, many Native Hawaiians, including myself, would not have had the educational opportunities that have helped set me on my leadership path. Thompson worked tirelessly for our Native Hawaiian community, especially families, in securing federal funding for Native Hawaiian education, health, and establishing organizations such as Alu Like, Papa Ola Lōkahi, and the Polynesian Voyaging Society that have become pillars in our community. I greatly admire Pinky Thompsonʻs deep love for our people and clear vision in seeing each of these endeavors to success.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?

ʻōlelo!!!!

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?

Political power