HHHRC TRAINERS
Heather Lusk, Executive Director
Heather has 24 years of experience in the field of HIV and AIDS in Hawai'i and California, including working with the Hawai'i State Department of Health, UCSF STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, UCSF AIDS Health Project, the Harm Reduction Coalition and offering counseling for clients getting tested for HIV and hepatitis at the Berkeley Free Clinic. Heather is also the Co-Director and Founder of Hep Free Hawai'i, a Chair of the Hawai'i Advisory Commission on Drugs and Controlled Substances, and Vice-Chair with Partners in Care, O'ahu’s Homeless Coalition.
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Kunane Dreier, LGBT Program & Training Manager
Kunane is a leader within the LGTBQI Community providing ongoing cultural competency trainings to service providers. He is experienced as a RESPECT, counseling, testing and referral, and rapid testing trainer. Kunane served as the Director of Prevention Services at Life Foundation since 2006, and has experience working with prevention intervention strategies, linkage to care, and prevention for positives. He has completed the Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership Program, and serves as the Hawai'i Community Planning Group Co-Chair.
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Cathy Kiana Keiko Kapua, B.P.A. Transgender Services Manager
“Taffy,” as she is known by the transgender community, hails from the leeward side of O'ahu, Hawai'i. She has worked with the transgender community since 2003, first starting off as a Peer Educator and Employment Specialist at Kulia Na Mamo, then moving on to become an HIV Prevention Specialist at the Life Foundation. She has worked on several other empowering projects specific for the transgender community over the past decade 14 years. As a graduate of the Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership in September 2010, she is also proud of her accomplishments in the University of Hawai'i system for Public Administration. She has been successful in advocating for transgender programming and providing cultural competency trainings throughout the nation but prides herself mainly on being a role model for the young transgender community in Hawai'i.
David Abitbol, Policy & Contracts Manager
David has more than 5 years of local experience working with non-profit organizations in the fields of non-profit management, social services, public health, and issues related to HIV, hepatitis C, the opioid epidemic, law enforcement, and social justice. At HHHRC, David manages major contracts that help provide services to target populations such as people living with HIV, mental illness, alcohol and substance abuse, and homelessness. David is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Hawai'i William S. Richardson School of Law.
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Leilani Maxera, Outreach & Overdose Prevention Manager
Leilani manages the statewide syringe exchange, outreach, and overdose prevention programs, supervises the outreach workers on four of the Hawaiian Islands, and conducts training and education with other social service organizations to teach about overdose response and to reduce stigma around drug use. She previously worked at Homeless Youth Alliance/San Francisco Needle Exchange and Tenderloin Health in San Francisco, and volunteered at SANE (Safer Alternatives thru Networking and Education), a syringe exchange program in Sacramento, CA. Leilani has a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Aging from the University of California – Berkeley and a Master of Social Work degree from Hawai`i Pacific University.
