Julie Rogers

Julie’s passion is to develop programs that connects our youth to the ʻAina. Having worked in a DNA sequencing lab and as a Biologist in construction zones, she was confronted with the destruction and complications that our technological ʻadvancementsʻ were causing to the health of our plant and to the health of our own wellbeing. While working in a non-profit to end the use of fossil fuels in Hawaii, she was invited to join a mentorship program at The Tracking Project. Under the guidance of her mentors John Stokes and Brother Noland, she learned about indigenous philosophies and realized how necessary our connection to the natural world was and how there are practices that can help us become connected once again. She then became a student at The East West Center during which she began her volunteer work at the Gross National Happiness Center in Bhutan and volunteered as an educator at the Green School. She has since received her ME in Educational Foundations from the University of Hawaii, served on the board of Hawaii Nature Center for 9 years and crewed the Hokuleʻa on her world wide voyage. She now serves as the Director at ʻAkahiao Nature Institute that offers nature-based programs to our keiki, providing guidance and space to nurture courage, creativity and connectedness to the next generation.