Kenton Eldridge has over 30 years of business experience. He has extensive executive operating experience in the US and Asia. Eldridge also spent 5 years as an Army Intelligence Officer. He graduated from the Army Officer’s Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA, the Defense Language School in Monterey, CA, and the Advanced German Language School in Oberammergau, Germany. He also served in Europe and Vietnam.
Since retiring in 1997 and returning to Hawaii, Eldridge has served on the boards of 10 organizations, including Vice Chair of Assets School; board member of Hoku Scientific, American Savings Bank, The Nature Conservancy, Straub Foundation, Straub Hospital’s capital campaign, and Ho’ōla Nā Pua’s capital campaign; and Chairman of the Advisory Board for Vision to Learn.
Eldridge has a BA, MA, and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenton-eldridge-90922a4
As a Senior Vice President at the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF), Lauren Nahme most recently served as HCF’s Chief Transformation Officer, focused on special projects supporting the implementation of their strategic plan. Prior to that, she provided strategy and administration for the Maui Strong Fund and related collaborations. Before joining HCF, Lauren worked with Kamehameha Schools for 17 years, starting as the Financial Controller, then transitioning to the Director for Strategic Planning and Implementation after four years. In her last eight years, she reported to the CEO as the Vice President of Strategy and Transformation, responsible for strategic planning, research, project management, innovation projects, community grants and investments, quarterly and annual reporting to Trustees and the Court Master. Nahme holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She serves on the board for the Hau’oli Mau Loa Foundation, the Institute for Human Services, Chaminade University, Pacxa, and Tradewind Group. She and her husband, Scott, have three adult children, two lovely daughters-in-law, and two dogs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-nahme-38321314
Melissa Jackson is the granddaughter of Joe and Vera Zilber and a board member of the Zilber Family Foundation. She is on the board of Ho`ola Na Pua, an organization committed to ending sex trafficking, and at Adventist Health Castle Medical Center, where she helped establish a best-in-class birthing center. She is also a founding member of Hawai`i’s Funder Hui, a partner to organizations, events, and collaborations that elevate the unique role philanthropy plays in social change. Melissa has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, is the mother of four children, and is an active school parent. She is involved in many volunteer activities, including direct service work with houseless and disadvantaged children, youth, and families.
Eric is the Co-Founder of Tiki, an AI-powered advertising platform that helps travel companies connect with over 100 million active travel planners every month. He was also a Co-Founder of TravBuddy, one of the first social networking websites for travelers and largest online travel communities in the world. For many years, he was a lead mentor at Blue Startups, a top 20 startup accelerator founded to help develop startup companies and a startup ecosystem in Hawai’i. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, reading and traveling around the world.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbjorndahl
Jake McCool is the Director of Business Systems for Koa Capital Partners, a Hawaiʻi-based private investment firm focused on acquiring and operating local businesses. In this role, he leads digital transformation initiatives across the firm’s portfolio companies, helping modernize operations through strategic technology implementation.
Jake brings broad expertise in software integration, financial modeling, custom application development, data analytics, and systems architecture. His work centers on building scalable solutions that drive efficiency, enhance decision-making, and support sustainable growth. Prior to joining Koa Capital in 2019, he held roles in real estate development, water treatment engineering, and renewable energy, gaining a multidisciplinary foundation that informs his operational approach today.
Jake earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakemccool