Newsmaker
Monday, October 6, 1997
Name: Tara Lulani McKenzie
Position: CEO, Alu Like Inc.
Education: Master's degree in political science; certificate in public administration
Pastimes: Outdoors, pets, writing
Born in Yuma, Ariz., and raised in Portland, Ore., Tara Lulani McKenzie's interest in her Hawaiian heritage wasn't the only reason she decided to live here. She also credits a visit from her deceased grandmother. Helping fellow Hawaiians
"She appeared to me in a dream," said McKenzie, whose father is of Hawaiian and English descent while her mother was of Native American/
Irish/Dutch/Prussian blood.
"My Hawaiian grandmother, she's passed on. And the message in the dream was that I needed to go home."
McKenzie is the new executive director of Alu Like Inc., a nonprofit, community-based agency whose goal is to assist Hawaiians in achieving their potential. The Wahiawa resident moved here 22 years ago and studied political science at the University of Hawaii, where she earned her master's degree in the field and a certificate in public administration.
More comfortable behind the scenes, McKenzie didn't emerge at the forefront of the Hawaiian sovereignty scene until she became head of the controversial Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council. The council, which dissolved last year after conducting its Native Hawaiian Vote, was a challenging experience that put McKenzie in touch with many facets of the Hawaiian community, she said.
Now, McKenzie hopes to bring her experience to Alu Like, where she'll work to move the social service agency into economic self-sufficiency. Hawaiians, she said, are in need of assistance more than ever due to the state's economy, the changes in welfare law and the rising cost of living here.
"Put it all together, you have situations where native Hawaiians, especially those on the lower-income scales, are going to have difficulties," she said.
Alu Like offers programs in areas such as education, employment, economic development and social development. To date, it has assisted 100,000 people statewide since it began in 1974.
Pat Omandam, Star-Bulletin
