Honolulu, HI – In June 2021, the Nakupuna Companies and their non-profit owner organization, the Nakupuna Foundation, marked the establishment of a Board of Advisors, a team of four industry and business leaders who will help influence the vision and strategy for the organizations as they build on their extraordinary growth over the past seven years. After successfully expanding to five office locations across the country, hiring over 500 employees, and successfully completing their first company acquisition, the Nakupuna Companies executive team felt establishing an advisory board would help shape the approach to future growth and expanded community impact.
The Board of Advisors will provide guidance and independent perspectives as the Nakupuna Companies continue to strengthen their for-profit efforts as a means of supporting the economic development of the Native Hawaiian community. Members of the board were selected based on their backgrounds in business, finance, government/defense, and technology, and each offers a unique outlook on how the Companies and Foundation can grow together into the future.
“We are extremely excited about the diverse experience this talented team of executives will bring to the Nakupuna Companies in the years ahead,” said Jason Greenawalt, co-founder of the Nakupuna Foundation and Executive Vice President of Na Ali’i. “We are honored each of them has chosen to join our Board of Advisors.”
The Nakupuna Companies Board of Advisors are:
Jim Benbow, Chief Executive Officer of DCS Corporation, where he also serves on the Board of Directors. DCS is a privately-held, employee-owned engineering and technical services firm. With nearly 1,900 employee-owners operating from 22 U.S. locations nationwide, DCS works to advance complex technologies and their innovative application for the national security sector. Core services encompass the research, development, test and evaluation of advanced systems and platforms. Before being named CEO in 2016, Jim served since 2004 as Chief Business Development Officer for DCS, responsible for driving organic growth across the enterprise. In this capacity, he established the first centralized business development organization and integrated growth strategy for the company. Prior to rejoining DCS in 2004, Jim served in senior business development capacities for Titan Corporation, Averstar, Inc., Intermetrics, Inc., and Horizons Technology, Inc. Jim began his career with DCS as an Optical Engineer supporting the integration of state-of-the-art electro-optical systems on a variety of platforms. He holds a BS in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester.
Melissa Unemori Hampe, Partner with Skog Rasmussen LLC on the Island of Maui, Hawai’i. Melissa specializes in federal government relations and grants, working in both arenas through public, private, and nonprofit sector positions. She spent 11 years on Capitol Hill working for the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink (D-HI), with a Senate policy leadership committee, and for the late Senator Dan Akaka (D-HI). She advocated for mentoring and youth development at the national nonprofit MENTOR: National Mentoring Partnership. She then joined D.C. firm McAllister & Quinn in 2008, serving in various positions including Chief Operating Officer, and continues to consult with the firm on various clients while at Skog Rasmussen LLC. Melissa has also worked on more than 125 federal, foundation, and corporate grant projects, providing a variety of services including grant prospecting and strategy, project management, coaching, writing, reviewing, editing, and submission support. Her clients have included national, regional, and local nonprofits; academic researchers at higher education institutions; hospitals and academic medical centers; for profit entities; and multi-sector collaborations. Melissa received a BS from Cornell University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Vice Admiral (U.S. Navy, retired) Thomas Moore, Vice President of Operations for the Nuclear and Environmental Group at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Technical Solutions division. In this role, Tom is responsible for oversight of all field activities operations for HII’s Department of Energy portfolio and is also an active participant in all aspects of the Nuclear and Environmental Group’s portfolio, including business and leadership development. Prior to joining Huntington Ingalls Industries, Tom served 39 years in the United States Navy, including 12 years as a Flag Officer. During his last four years of duty, he served as the Commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, where he managed an 83,000-person workforce and an annual budget of $55 billion in the design, construction, and life cycle management of the Navy’s ships, submarines, and combat systems. Previously, Tom was the Program Executive Officer for Aircraft Carriers, where he led the Navy’s largest acquisition program in the design and construction of the Navy’s FORD Class Carriers, and served as the Director of Fleet Readiness on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. Tom earned a BS in Math (Operations Analysis) from the United States Naval Academy, an MS in Information Systems from The George Washington University, and he also holds a Master of Science and engineer’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kate Troendle, a Managing Director at KippsDeSanto & Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital One. Kate has approximately 15 years of experience providing transaction advisory services to companies within the aerospace, defense, government, and technology sectors. Her expertise spans domestic and cross-border sell-side and buy-side merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, leveraged buyouts, debt and equity capital raises, fairness opinions, and corporate divestitures for public and private companies and financial sponsors. Prior to working at KippsDeSanto, Kate was a Vice President at Bluestone Capital Partners, where she focused on transaction execution for companies operating within the aerospace, defense, and government services industries. Kate began her investment banking career within Stifel’s Aerospace, Defense & Government Services Group, where she supported a variety of transactions related to M&A and debt as well as equity capital raises via both public and private offerings. Kate received a BS in Political Science and Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
About the Nakupuna Companies
The Nakupuna Companies are a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO)-owned family of small businesses dedicated to providing innovative and impactful solutions to customers while supporting the Native Hawaiian community. Specializing in management consulting, IT, facilities support, and environmental services, Nakupuna Companies find elegant approaches that solve the toughest technical, programmatic, and logistical challenges. Headquartered in Hawaiʻi, with offices in Arlington, VA; Mechanicsburg, PA; St. Louis, MO; and Denver, CO, Nakupuna Companies offer the diverse workforce and resources of a national company with the contractual advantages and startup ingenuity of a small business.
About the Nakupuna Foundation
The Nakupuna Foundation is a non-profit Native Hawaiian Organization with a mission to support the economic advancement of the Native Hawaiian community. A cornerstone of its mission includes preparing Native Hawaiians for 21st century job opportunities through a portfolio of targeted investments in STEM educational programs. Named in honor of the late Warren Nakupuna Ah Loo, the Nakupuna Foundation owns a family of companies – the Nakupuna Companies – that participate in the U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program.
