Born and raised in Kailua, O’ahu, Brandon developed a love for the ‘āina and kai (land and sea) that continues to inform his work as the manager of the ‘Āina-Based Education Department at Kamehameha Schools (KS). In his current role, Brandon and his team cultivate strategic community partnerships to deliver ‘āina-based learning experiences to students and families on KS-owned lands, statewide. A cultural anthropologist by training, his broad research interests include cultural politics, “mixed” race/ethnic identity, and indigenous epistemologies. A former Senior Research Associate in the Research and Evaluation Division at KS, Brandon served as the co-project director of a study on culture-based education that included data from hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in public, private, and charter schools across the state. Brandon lectured in anthropology at Hawai’i Pacific University and UH Mānoa where he received the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the University UH Board of Regents. His dissertation on hapa was awarded honorable mention by the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship committee. Brandon enjoys surfing, making music, and spending time with his his wife Kaila and three sons, Nalupi’o (4), La’akea (4) and Kaimana (1).
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)