Staff Spotlight: Kapua Chang

Meet Kapua Chang, Imua Family Services’ Mission Director and one of the driving forces behind keeping our work true to its purpose. As she celebrates four years with Imua, Kapua continues to play a key role in guiding our organization with vision, cultural grounding, and an unwavering commitment to the children and families of Maui Nui.

Her day-to-day includes researching, applying for, and managing grants that help fuel Imua’s programs, as well as providing cultural consultation and direction across the organization. “I have the privilege of ensuring our work stays mission-aligned,” she says, and anyone who has worked with her knows she does this with heart and intention.

Kapua was born and raised on Oʻahu, in the moku of Waiʻanae, in the ʻili of Māʻili. Though she still insists that Waiʻanae’s beaches are the best, Maui is now home—and the birthplace of her three children. That deep connection to place motivates her to give back to the ʻāina and community here on Maui Nui.

Education first drew Kapua toward teaching. She imagined herself as a high school English or Hawaiian history teacher, but her college student teaching experience sent her in a different direction. Instead, she found her calling in non-traditional, outdoor education and conservation. For the next 12 years, she worked in the nonprofit world, climbing into leadership and grant management roles that eventually led her to Imua. “I absolutely love being able to support the amazing work our staff does every single day for the children and families of Maui Nui,” she shares.

Family is at the center of Kapua’s world. She married her high school sweetheart, and together they’re raising three keiki—ages almost 16, almost 13, and almost 10 (yes, three birthdays all back-to-back during the holidays!). Much of their time is happily filled with swim, volleyball, and hula practices, as well as family adventures to ‘Īao, Haleakalā, and favorite food spots like Tiffany’s, OAO Sushi, Makawao Public House, and anywhere serving ramen and sashimi.

Outside of work and family, Kapua loves a good book—especially historical fiction and autobiographies—and starts each morning with a coffee from her trusty Nespresso machine or a local cold brew.

Her connection to Imua is also deeply personal: two of her children received services here, including speech therapy and the Imua Inclusion Preschool. “I will forever be an Imua advocate because of those positive experiences,” she says. Looking ahead, her goal this year is to get staff out on the ʻāina more—because when the Imua team gathers outside of the office, great things happen.