P.O. Box 194 Waiʻanae, HI 96792

support@thewedc.com

Our Hui

Learn more about the WEDC team

Board Members

Joseph Lapilio

President & CEO

Joseph has worked on the Wai`anae Coast for more than forty years. He is a community and organizational development consultant. He was executive director of the Wai`anae Coast Coalition for eleven years and coordinated community projects focused on economic development. He was appointed to the Governor’s Economic and Community Navigator Task Force and is a member of the State House of Representatives Select Committee on Economic and Financial Recovery to help with post-COIVD planning. Joseph is the immediate past president of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, active in the community including the Wai`anae Coast Rotary Club, the Lualualei Hawaiian Civic Club, among others. Joseph is a Native Hawaiian and a resident of the Wai`anae Coast.

Dan Gomes

Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors

Dan retired from Pitney Bowes in 2005, after a 37-year career in various management positions with extensive experience in business and project management, strategic planning, organizational development, personnel management, computer technologies, and marketing.
Dan is a member of Ulu Mau Development LLC, a firm specializing in business development
projects on the Waianae Coast. He is active in community organizations that include the
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center Board of Directors, the Waianae High School
Community Council, the Waianae Elementary School Community Council, and the Waianae Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii Board of Directors.
Dan sees our community’s potential to provide cultural education, multi-cultural entertainment, and effective business management programs based on cultural values and principles. His focus on developing local community resources and expertise into marketable products will contribute to the overall improvement and sustainability of our multiple Waianae Coast Communities.

Annie Ferreira

Treasurer, Member of the Board of Directors

Annie graduated from Wai’anae High School, Class of ’65. Her father, Floyd Loving was an active Model City Board member and was instrumental in bringing the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Kaiser Permanente to Waianae. Annie sees herself following in her father’s footsteps, leaving a legacy of community development initiatives that will benefit the coast for years to come. Her community work also began in Wai’anae with Model Cities and continued in a succession of jobs, serving the community through Alu Like, Self-Help Housing and USDA Rural Development’s Housing Program.

Verna Landford-Bright

Member of the Board of directors

Verna has lived on the Coast most of her life and is a Job Specialist with the City and County, Department of Community Services, WorkHawaii Program. Prior to this, Verna worked at the Wai`anae Mental Health Center. She volunteers for the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai`i and assists visitors in need. Verna is the Co-Founder of the Wai`anae High School Alumni Foundation and was President for five years. She is also a member of the Wai`anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center Research Committee and Secretary of Valley of Rainbows.

Georgianna Navarro

Member of the board of directors

Georgianna has lived in the Wai`anae Moku for 70 years and is a resident of the Wai`anae Valley Hawaiian Homestead. She has worked in a variety of jobs primarily in the hospitality industry and received a Certificate in Hospitality Training from Leeward Community College. She is currently the President of Ka`anani`au O Wai`anae (a coalition of Westside Hawaiian Civic Clubs), a member of the Ho’omau Ke Ola Board of Directors, and was previously president of the Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club. She is currently a planning committee member of Made on the Wai`anae Coast and a member of Wai`anae Moku 2030.

Stephanie Kawelo

Member of the board of directors

Stephanie is a resident of the Wai`anae Valley Hawaiian Homestead. She has lived in Wai`anae since 1960 and graduated from Wai`anae High School in 1969. She is currently the Vice President for the Wai`anae Hawaiian Civic Club and Secretary for Ka`ananiau O Wai`anae. Stephanie retired from the Kuakini Medical Center after working there for 22 years.