VICE PRESIDENT

Raised on Maui (where he loved visiting his grandparents’ home in Lahaina to surf, swim, and fish in the waters of Polanui), Ekolu graduated from Kamehameha Schools on O’ahu, and earned a B.B.A. at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Ekolu’s parents -- Ed Lindsey, a Native Hawaiian, and lifelong school teacher, and Puanani Lindsey -- co-founded Maui Cultural Lands in 2002. After his father passed away in 2009, Ekolu carried forward his family’s legacy of service and their vision of protecting and restoring Hawaiian cultural resources and the marine environment. Ekolu is the president of Maui Cultural Lands and in July of 2015, completed a ten-day, 500-mile journey aboard the voyaging canoe Hikianalia to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to conduct reef surveys and fish monitoring to help better manage Hawai’i’s marine resources. Ekolu also cofounded Polanui Hiu, the first Community Managed Makai Area (CMMA) on Maui. Ekolu sits on many non-profit boards and donates his time freely to create a better world by serving the present for those not yet born.

When not giving back to the community, Ekolu can be found at his favorite surf break, Uha Ilio aka Shark Pit, or on a canoe.