OUR BOARD
Mana Academy's Board of Directors are a volunteer board of professionals from a wide variety of fields whose charge is to ensure the school is executing its charter with full fidelity.
Board meetings are held every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM on the secondary campus. The public is welcome to attend and may address the board during public comments.
Please submit all inquiry or requests to be put on the agenda at least 48 hours in advance to board@themanaacademy.org.
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Board of Directors
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Kehaulani Vaughn - President
Dr. KÄ“haulani Vaughn is an assistant professor in the Pacific Island Studies Initiative and Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on Pacific Island Studies, Comparative Indigenous Studies and Higher Education. She received her doctorate from the University of California at Riverside. Her educational background also includes graduate degrees from UCLA in Higher Education and Asian American Studies and a concentration in American Indian Studies. Her current research explores Pacific Island Studies, Indigenous epistemologies, Indigenous education, and decolonial practices and pedagogies. She has taught numerous college courses including: Pacific Islander Education, Decolonial Education, Race and Ethnicity in the United States, Indigeneity in Hawai’i, Community Studies, Community Health, Native American Studies and Research Methodology.
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Dr. Nia Aitaoto - Vice President
Nia Aitaoto, PhD, MPH, MS is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Utah College of Health’s Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Medicine’s Health Systems Innovation and Research Division. She is a principal investigator of several research studies in Hawaii and the Pacific. She has over 20 years of experience in the health and education field with a focus on cancer, diabetes, cultural competency, physical activity, nutrition, medication adherence and tobacco related initiatives. Dr. Aitaoto specializes in providing technical assistance, data assessment and evaluation support to ministries of health and community groups in Hawaii, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
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Frankie Santos Laanan – Treasurer
Frankie Santos Laanan is Associate Dean for Faculty and Student Affairs and Professor of Education, Culture & Society and Educational Leadership & Policy in the College of Education at the University of Utah. Born and raised on the island of Guåhan (Guam), he is a first-generation college student. He earned his B.A. in Political Science, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in HigherEducation and Organizational Change all from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on college access and success of minoritized students and the impact of college on individuals and society. His publications address topics including pathways to STEM degrees for women and underrepresented students, community college transfer and adjustment process, and economic benefits of a career and technical education.
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Inoke Hafoka, PhD - Secretary
‘Inoke Hafoka, PhD serves as a research associate with the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Hafoka also is an associate instructor at the University of Utah (U of U) in the Ethnic Studies and History departments. Hafoka received his Ph.D. in Social Science & Comparative Education from UCLA with a focus on race and ethnicity. He also earned a M.Ed. in Education, Culture & Society from the U of U, and a B.S. in Sociology from Brigham Young University, Provo (BYU) where he had opportunities to play football (one year) and rugby (two years). Hafoka’s parents are both from Tonga. He is married to Tali Alisa Hafoka and they are raising their four children in Glendale (Salt Lake City), Utah.​
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Feleti Matagi - Board Member
Feleti is the current Director of Development for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Utah. He loves meeting new people from different backgrounds and life experiences, which is why he’s a huge YouTube and movie enthusiast. Stop by to geek-out on Malcolm Reed cooking videos or his favorite movie genre: sci-fi! Feleti was the previous president of Mana's Board of Directors.
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Audit Committee
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The Board has an Audit Committee comprised of the board president and a board member. Our business manager and director serve as advisors to the audit committee. All budgets are reviewed regularly and approved by the Board of Directors and are published on the Utah Public Finance Website. Audit Committee members are:
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Kehaulani Vaughn
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Frankie Santos Laanan
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Fraud Hotline
Stakeholders may report concerns of fraud, waste, abuse, or non-compliance directly to the board by emailing board@themanaacademy.org.
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Alternatively, stakeholders may report such concerns directly to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) through the Public Education Hotline at (801) 538-7813 and full information is available on the Internal Audit website.
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Board Links
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