About Us

Our Mission
The mission of Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is to foster appreciation and understanding of Maui Nui’s plants and their role in Hawaiian cultural expression by providing a gathering place for discovery, education, and conservation.

Vision: Cultivating widespread preservation, conservation, and integration of Hawaiian plants throughout Maui Nui.

Values: ‘Oia’i’o (integrity, truth), Malama (stewardship, preservation), Ho’ala Hou (re-awaken), Ho’ona’auao (education, enlightenment)

Board of Directors	Advisory Board:
President: Chris (Ikaika) Nakahashi	Horticulture: Heidi Bornhorst
Vice-President: Diane Carr	Hawaiian Culture: Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla Nāpua Greig-Nakasone
Secretary: Ellen Osborne	Community Relations: Al Lagunero
Treasurer: Dorothy Pyle	Legal: Brian Jenkins
Directors: Kathy Baldwin Koa Hewahewa Robert Hobdy Janet Allan Jennifer Higashino

MNBG STAFF:

Tamara Sherrill: Executive Director	Tamara was the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens’ Nursery Manager and Curator from 2002-2005 and helped collect and establish the Gardens’ current collection of plants. She was active with the Native Plant Society during this time, the organization that assisted Rene Sylva in the creation of the Garden in the late 1980’s. She left in 2006 to complete her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. While she attended school, she also worked as a research assistant for the University and as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She returned to MNBG in 2009. Since 2009, she has prioritized building and verifying the Gardens’ collection of pre-European contact Hawaiian varieties of kō (sugarcane), kalo (taro), mai‘a (banana), ‘uala (sweet potato), and ‘awa (kava). In 2015, she began working to improve MNBG’s seed storage capacity to assist natural area managers in Maui County.
Whit Germano: Program Manager	Whit was born on the Big Island, and raised in Maui. He is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama, and holds a B.A. from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Whit has been managing MNBG’s programs and events since May 2010 and is the creator of the “Hawaiian Plant of the Day” daily Facebook Post.
Chris d’Avella: Garden and Nursery Manager	Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies – Environmental Studies: Agroecology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and brings his experience in farm and nursery production of food crops and ornamentals, strong data management skills, and an interest in taking an ecological approach to agriculture. He has been with MNBG since 2014 and supervises interns, garden staff, and volunteers in both Nursery and Garden operations.
Nameaaea Hoshino: Kalo Varieties Manager	Namea holds an AA in Hawaiian Studies with an emphasis on Hawaiian Language Immersion from the University of Hawai‘i Maui College. From 2011 until the present, MNBG has been working with a grant from the Ceres Trust to create “huli bank” of verified Hawaiian kalo cultivars. Namea took over this project in 2014. More than 60 varieties of Hawaiian kalo are being grown for distribution to Maui farmers and other growers as part of a statewide effort to mālama Hāloa.