Our Team
Pele Kaio
Pele Kaio, the youngest child of Lincoln Kaio and Kumu Hula Sissy Kaio, was born in Torrance, California, and raised in Carson, California. While his father hails from Lāʻia, Oʻahu, his mother's family, originally from Kaʻū, relocated to ʻAiea, Oʻahu, and later moved to California after World War II. After calling Hawaiʻi home for almost 20 years, Pele now lives in Honokaʻa with his wife Kēhau, and daughter Lilinoe (Violet Ella).
Pele is an ʻūniki ʻailolo (graduate) of Unukupukupu under the guidance of Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō. He holds an A.A.S. in Hula from Hawaiʻi Community College, a B.A. in Geography with a minor in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and an M.A. in History & Culture from Union Institute & University.
Currently serving as the Kumu Hula of Unulau, a hālau hula based in Hilo and Waimea, Hawaiʻi, Pele is also an Assistant Professor at Hawai’i Community College, where he teaches courses in Hula and Hawaiian Studies. Additionally, he serves as the high school hula teacher at Kanu O Ka ʻĀina Public Charter School in Waimea.
Maile Stant
Maile Stant, the youngest child of Gaylord Stant from Lāʻia, Oʻahu, and Sheree Stant, grew up in a family known for having the only imu (underground oven) in all of California. Her hula journey began at the age of two with Hālau o Lilinoe, led by Sissy and Lilinoe Kaio, in Carson, California. After participating in the Miss Aloha Hula competition in 2010, Maile moved to Hilo, where she underwent training under the guidance of Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō until her ʻūniki (graduation) into the ranks of hoʻopaʻa in 2012.
Following her ʻūniki, Maile relocated to Oʻahu, where she started teaching hula on the North Shore and welcomed her daughter, Keliko, into the world. She is a proud ʻūniki ʻailolo (graduate) of Hālau o Lilinoe and serves as one of the kumu of Unuomamao in both Oʻahu and Southern California.
Dawn Rego-Yee
Dawn Rego-Yee was born and raised in Hilo, Moku O Keawe and lived 20 years on Turtle Island in occupied Duwamish Territory (Seattle, WA). Her kūpuna are from Hilo, Okinawa and Hanamaulu, Kauaʻi. She identifies as wahine Hawaiʻi, wife, mother to a blended ʻohana and social justice worker. She is haumāna in Unulau with Kumu Pele Kaio and Hālau ʻŌhiʻa with Aunty Kekuhi Kanakaʻoleohaililani.
Dawn is the Resilient Communities, Schools and Families (RCSF) Project Director at Ceeds of Peace supporting our partner school sites in implementing trauma informed practice, wrap around services and transformational community schools. She is a consultant, trainer and facilitator uplifting health, wellbeing, trauma informed practice and social justice in our ‘ohana (family) and kaiaulu (communities).
She is a licensed social worker (LSW) and received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the Matsunaga Institute for Peace. She believes in our pilina (relationship) to ʻāina (land), environment and each other to center our collective abundance.