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Kayla supports the Portfolio team in the discovery, design and implementation of programming, tools and resources to support Elemental’s growing portfolio. This includes managing Elemental’s coaching services and program tracks for core startup curriculum, including market intelligence, messaging, sales and growth. Kayla also contributes to portfolio events and communications alongside the delivery of “Equity In” curriculum and targeted services to support traditionally excluded leaders.
Prior to Elemental Excelerator
Kayla is from Kahuku, Hawai‘i with roots in Samoa. Previously, she has worked to expand energy access at the United Nations Foundation, conducted legislative research on marine protections and nature-based solutions at the Hawaii State Senate, and supported the development of marine energy technologies at the Department of Energy. Kayla is passionate about climate justice and navigating equitable transitions to renewable energy. She has served as a lead coordinator at UNFCCC COP conferences, provided technical assistance on capacity building and technology to climate-vulnerable countries in the Pacific, and drafted National Adaptation Plans for Small Island Developing States, a key mechanism for accessing climate finance for frontline communities. She dedicates her life’s work to ensuring Pacific Islanders can continue to live and thrive on the islands their ancestors have called home for generations.
Kayla holds a Masters in Sustainability Science and Practice and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Political Science from Stanford University.
Outside of the office