STAFF BIOS:
Kapena - Timothy “Timi” Gilliom:
Born and raised on the Island of Maui, Timi is the Kapena (Captain) and boat builder of Moʻokiha O Piʻilani. Kapena Timi joined the Hui over 20 years ago learning to sail on Moʻolele and eventually became in charge of all her repairs and sailing expeditions. Kapena Timi has been mentored by many Pwo (master navigators) including the late Pwo navigator Kālepa Baybayan, as well as the late Hector Busby, the world-renowned Māori canoe builder and navigator. Kapena Timi has dedicated his life to perpetuating, teaching, and preserving the voyaging arts and traditional canoe building.
Pwo is a process of learning that never stops. It continues until you die. When a navigator becomes pwo, he takes on responsibilities for his island community. A pwo uses his/her knowledge of navigation to serve the people. Pwo Lambert said, “If you go away, you must be brave enough to face the elements. You are not expected to be unafraid but you must be courageous to overcome the fear and do your sacred duty as a navigator for your people. You will go and bring not only food and goods but also prestige to your people and your community and your island.”
Timi has extensive experience as a master navigator and teacher of Hawaiian wayfinding techniques. He has navigated over 68,000 nautical miles as captain, watch captain, or crew. He has four years of commercial fishing experience exclusively in the NW Hawaiian Islands. He has navigated Moʻokiha O Piʻilani, and Moʻolele. He has also assisted the Hōkūleʻa and the Hikianalia voyaging canoes on their Malama Honua World-Wide Voyage, Hikianalia voyage to California, Aukland to Wellington, Maine to Nova Scotia to New York, Aotearoa to Tahiti, 2014 Samoa, 2015 Hikianalia: Aotearoa to Hawaii, and 2016 South Africa.
Kapena (Captain) Timi has navigated Moʻokiha O Piʻilani throughout the Hawaiian Islands since July 11, 2014. Moʻokiha has voyaged from Maui to the following locations:
Destination: Big Island (twice)
Purpose: Community Outreach - Sailed the Conquistadores del Cielo, a group of airline & aerospace industry leaders
Purpose: Picked up Kiʻi Akua Kamohoaliʻi (statue of the chief shark god) carved by Uncle Kanani Kaulukukui to be a figurehead for the Moʻokiha to protect and swim with her
Destination: Kahoolawe (twice)
Purpose: Sailed crew there for navigational training at the top of the mountain
Destination: Molokai
Purpose: Educational Outreach
Destination: Kalaupapa, Molokai, to Oahu
Purpose: For Hokuleʻaʻs return from her Worldwide Voyage
Destination: Lanaʻi
Purpose: Educational Outreach
Destination: Oʻahu
Purpose: Outreach with Hokuleʻa crew
Destination: Kauaʻi
Launching of Namahoe (Kauaʻiʻs first voyaging vessel)
Education Director - Paanaakala “Kala” Baybayan Tanaka
“After my first sail with my dad, I told him I wanted to know everything about voyaging and navigation, he told me that I needed to go find my canoe and I had heard about Moʻolele and at that time the Hui was building Moʻokiha, so I went down one day to help and never stopped going back.”
Paanaakala Tanaka has been studying navigation from her father, late master Pwo navigator Kalepa Baybayan, since 2006. In 2007, she crewed on the voyage Ku Holo Komohana (Japan voyage) and has also crewed on various legs of the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage (Hawaii-Tahiti, Tahiti-Rarotonga, Virginia-New York, Hawaii-Tahiti, and Tahiti-Hawaii). During the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage she fulfilled diverse roles including safety officer, education specialist, apprentice navigator, navigator, and captain. In 2016, she captained and co-navigated Hikianalia alongside her father from Hawaii to Tahiti.
“The Waʻa is a huge part of who I am, it has led me to education and taught me so much about my natural environment, our relationship with it and each other. Even when I’m sleeping, I dream of sailing. If the Waʻa can deeply impact someone like me in such a positive way, I know she does that for others as well. I want to be a part of that and creating opportunities for that kind of experiential learning to happen.”
Kala is Kumu (teacher) for the Hui’s Junior Voyaging Programs. She also provides community outreach with Star Navigation presentations throughout the island for locals and tourists alike.
Executive Director – Beth Montalvo
Born & raised on an Iowa farm, but has always loved the water. In high school she was a lifeguard, loved to waterski, and was even on a water ski team building 3-high pyramids. She was injured in 1991 on an ATV 4-wheeler. She is now an active paraplegic who still loves the water. She has adaptive equipment to waterski and to outrigger canoe paddle. In 2008, she was part of an adaptive crew that paddled the Molokaʻi Ho (38+ miles between Molokaʻi & Oʻahu). She also competed professionally as a wheelchair tennis player for ten years and retired after representing the USA in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
Beth has a degree in mathematics from Iowa State University, which led her to teaching math at Baldwin High School from 2011 - 2015. She now has a full-time bookkeeping business helping clients with their finances.
She is very active in her church, Hope Chapel Kihei, leading finance and Bible study classes. She also helps her husband, Kelton, run their trucking business.
Beth has been assisting the Hui since 2015 with their finances and administrative tasks.
