Our Board

Moelani Foster

Founder & President

Moelani was born and raised in Upcountry Maui, where her early years in Makawao were shaped by a close-knit community and a simple, carefree way of life. She grew up surrounded by neighbors who became an extended family, spending her days outdoors, and building lifelong friendships in the streets of her community. As a teenager, her family relocated to Waiehu through Hawaiian Homes, an opportunity her parents had long hoped for. While leaving Upcountry was difficult, Waiehu became a place of grounding and healing, and is now the place she calls home.

 Moelani’s journey into youth work was not linear but deeply shaped by her own lived experiences. As a young person, she navigated seasons of hardship, including running away from home, entering into an unhealthy relationship, experiencing domestic violence, and using drugs and alcohol as a way to escape the hurt of reality. By the time she graduated high school, she was already a mother of two, carrying responsibilities and challenges she was not yet equipped to fully understand. Looking back, she recognizes that she was experiencing depression and needed a safe and nurturing place to feel seen, supported, and valued.

 After high school, Moelani pursued a career in the travel industry, guided by her love for travel and curiosity to explore the world. She later stepped into a leadership role in children’s ministry at her church—an experience that changed the course of her life. Through that work, she discovered a deep calling to serve youth. She later joined Liliʻuokalani Trust, where she helped launch youth centers in Wailuku and Pukalani, supporting programs that created space for young people to build relationships, find direction, and grow. Returning to Upcountry to do this work was not something she had planned, but it became a meaningful part of her healing journey, allowing her to face her past while using her story to uplift and encourage others. Though she did not pursue higher education, Moelani believes that lived experience, faith, a heart for service, and showing up for others are all powerful tools for impact. Her work is rooted in a commitment to leave people, places, and spaces better than she found them.

Growing up, who was someone who showed up for you in the way Aunties House Hawaii hopes to show up for youth?
Celeste Makua, a case worker who showed up for Moelani during a difficult season of her life. As a teen mother trying to find her way, Celeste brought consistency, guidance, and genuine care. Celeste would do weekly home visits with Moelani to support her son’s development, while walking alongside her without judgment. One Thanksgiving, when Moelani and her family were expecting to go without food, Celeste showed up with groceries and gifts in hand. It was that simple act of kindness and care that made a lifelong impact; the fact that Celeste had taken the time out of her own holiday celebrations to ensure that Moelani and her family would be able to share a meal together. Though Celeste passed not long after, the impact she made never left. It is because of people like her that Aunties House Hawaii exists today. 

Kelly Anne Beppu

Vice President/Secretary

Kelly Anne is a Native Hawaiian woman from Hauʻula, Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu. From a young age, she knew in her heart that her life’s work would be centered on serving children and youth. With an educational background in Hawaiian Studies and Social Work, Kelly Anne has spent many years helping to build youth programs and supporting communities across Hawaiʻi in developing opportunities for young people, particularly Native Hawaiian youth. Her work is guided by compassion, cultural grounding, and a belief that every young person deserves to feel seen, heard, and loved, just as they are.

Growing up, who was someone who showed up for you in the way Aunties House Hawaii hopes to show up for youth?
Aunty Annette Santiago, the Park Director at Hauʻula Playground who was originally from Maui. Through programs and her everyday presence at the park, Aunty Annette held youth and adults to high standards while encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones, discover their potential, and contribute to their community. As a quiet and introverted teenager, Kelly Anne found connection, encouragement, and confidence through those experiences. Aunty Annette’s example of tough love, consistency, and deep care left a lasting impression. Today, as Kelly Anne helps build Aunties House Hawaii on Maui—the place Aunty Annette once called home—she hopes to carry forward that same spirit of showing up for youth and, in some small way, bring that legacy full circle.

Hileka Lyons

Treasurer

Hileka was raised between Maui and Oʻahu, shaped by both the beauty and the challenges of her upbringing. Her ancestral home of Kanaio has always been her place of grounding—a connection to her kūpuna, her ʻāina, and her identity. While her childhood held moments of deep joy, it was also marked by exposure to domestic violence and instability at a young age. Through it all, the consistent presence of her kūpuna and ʻohana became her safe haven—modeling what love, strength, and faith could look like even in the midst of hardship. These experiences shaped her early understanding of resilience, forgiveness, and the importance of community.

Hileka’s professional journey has been wide-ranging, from retail and insurance to entrepreneurship, where she owned and operated a boutique event planning business. It was through her professional experiences that her passion for youth and community work took root. Through that journey, she gained a deeper understanding of the importance of cultural grounding and authenticity, which strengthened her commitment to raising up youth rooted in Hawaiian values, identity, and ʻike. Her approach to this work is deeply rooted in her faith in Ke Akua, her upbringing, and the many examples of aloha, stewardship, and kuleana that were poured into her by her Māmā, kūpuna, and mentors. As a cancer survivor, Hileka also carries a profound sense of purpose—believing that every experience, both painful and joyful, is part of a greater calling to serve and uplift others.

Growing up, who was someone who showed up for you in the way Aunties House Hawaii hopes to show up for youth?
Russell Poaipuni, Hileka's UncleDAD, who was a man who loved deeply through action rather than words. He showed up every time—steady, dependable, and unafraid to face hard or uncomfortable situations. Through him, she learned what it meant to lead with integrity, to stand firm, and to carry both strength and aloha in the same space. She was also deeply impacted by Aunty Momi Awo, who showed up with a quiet, gentle consistency during some of the most difficult seasons of her life. After the passing of her Māmā, Aunty Momi reentered her life, walking alongside her and her family with care, support, and presence. Through both of these relationships, Hileka experienced what it means to truly show up for someone—and today, she carries that forward in her work, committed to being that same steady, loving presence for youth and families.