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Josh has two decades of cross-sector professional experience in Hawai‘i working in government, business, and nonprofits. He has served as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, Deputy Director for the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation, District Director for Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, Special Assistant to the Hawai‘i Attorney General, and as a private sector litigator. Josh has also managed multiple Hawai‘i political campaigns. He is currently on the board of directors for the Hawai‘i Book and Music Festival and Temple Emanu-El, and previously sat on the board of director for the Sex Abuse Treatment Center and on the Kailua Neighborhood Board. He holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the Georgetown University Law Center.
When local girl Tracey Erker left Hawai`i, she wasn’t sure she’d return. The Punahou School graduate saw firsthand the effects of the high cost of living because her own mother chose to move to Arizona, just to be able to afford a house. She has three siblings who also live on the continent. Erker’s career in human resources and business operations spans a range of industries: retail, digital gaming, restaurant and hospitality, cannabis, and most recently, media – as the HR director of aio Hawai`i. “I’m definitely industry agnostic,” she admits. “I think what ties it all together is loving the small business and start up environment, wearing a lot of hats, and thinking on my feet.”
Kaeli Flaska has two university degrees in STEM fields, but has the heart of a social worker. The Ohio native explains that her path to nonprofit started with her love for children. “I always wanted to help make a positive impact on youth,” Flaska says. She grew up in a middle-class setting in Cincinnati and understands what it feels like for a family to need to stick to a budget. Part of her choice to attend Iowa State University was that it offered her an athletic scholarship; Flaska played Division I women’s soccer. After graduating with a double major in environmental science and biology, she started her first job working for Norwood City School in Ohio, teaching STEM education programs to youth.
