Dr. Aaron J. Salā, President & CEO of the Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau, is reimagining tourism as a regenerative system that restores cultural dignity, empowers local communities, and prepares destinations for the future. With over 20 years of experience in executive leadership, cultural strategy, and creative direction, he bridges Indigenous knowledge with global policy, economic resilience, and systems innovation. His work spans academia, nonprofit leadership, and public-private partnerships, consistently centering equity, cultural integrity, and long-term community benefit. At HVCB, he leads efforts to set global benchmarks in regenerative tourism through cultural stewardship, data-driven strategy, and cross-sector collaboration—all guided by a mission to uplift Hawaiʻi, empower the Pacific, and shape a more resilient world.

Ms. Yamada has been instrumental in creating the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center at the University of Hawaii (UH). This $90 million, public-private initiative with 374 dormitory beds and over 10,000 square feet of program space is one of only a handful of live-learn-work, University-led, innovation centers in the US. Its mission is to educate students to think entrepreneurially and support UH’s startup innovators.

Tyler Dos Santos-Tam is a member of the Honolulu City Council, representing the Downtown Honolulu area, and was elected to this role in 2022. He has served as the Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee, Budget Committee, and Government Efficiency and Customer Services Committee. He has been a prolific and effective legislator, sponsoring and passing key legislation on public health, transportation, support for small businesses, reducing crime, and more. He previously served as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi from 2020-2022. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Construction Alliance, the organization which represents the state’s 15,000-member strong Carpenters, Laborers, Cement Masons, Bricklayers, and Operating Engineers unions. In this unique role, he brought together representatives from these unions to promote cooperation, collaboration, and coordination within Hawaiʻi’s construction industry. Tyler currently also serves as the Honorary Consul for Portugal in Hawaii. In this role, he works to promote trade, tourism, and the historical and cultural relationships between Portugal and Hawaiʻi. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards, was a member of the 2014 Class of the Pacific Century Fellows. He was recognized as one of Pacific Business News’ “40 Under Forty” for his work in both the business and advocacy community. Tyler is a graduate of Punahou School and Yale University.

As a serial social entrepreneur, I launch and scale social ventures while championing community initiatives, focusing on educational opportunities for keiki in Hawaiʻi. My ventures in Hawaiʻi, the U.S., and Russia have served Global 5000 companies across industries, consistently directing resources to Native Hawaiian communities. I co-founded ChipIn, the world’s first crowdfunding platform, which raised $100M globally, starting with a fundraiser for Hōkūleʻa, and hold patents for innovations used by millions. At Shifted Energy, my current venture, we enable grid operators to balance energy supply and demand, integrating indigenous energy and reducing costs, with 95% of deployments in underserved areas, including Hawaiian homesteads. My finance experience includes building large-scale financial systems and securing funding from top venture funds. For over 20 years, I’ve driven educational initiatives, from co-creating the Native Hawaiian Scholars program to co-founding the Purple Maiʻa Foundation, which inspires culturally grounded, community-focused tech innovators. I also serve on boards driving economic development and education, impacting Hawaiʻi’s economy with billions in annual impact. I live in Honolulu with my wife and two sons.