Staff

Dr. Akiemi Glenn, Executive Director

Akiemi is the founder and executive director of the Pōpolo Project. She holds an MA and PhD in linguistics from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a BA in linguistics from New York University. Akiemi is a scholar and community worker who specializes in studying culture and facilitating community change on large and small scales. A filmmaker, artist, and cultural practitioner with genealogical ties to the forest and coastal areas currently known as North Carolina and Virginia, her research, curation, and work in Indigenous language revitalization and in community-based culture education centers the experience of diaspora and the potential of radical connection for profound change.

Board of Directors

Jamila Jarmon, Board Chair

Jamila was raised in Honolulu and is a graduate of the George Washington University and William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. As a practicing attorney, Jamila has experience in civil litigation, real estate, poverty law, and environmental law. Jamila champions justice and equity in all her work. She has served on numerous boards, currently also serving on the board of Aloha Harvest and Ceeds of Peace, and has worked with many community organizations, including the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai‘i and at the Domestic Violence Action Center. Jamila is currently the Manager of Growth Strategy for the Electrification of Transportation (EoT) at Hawaiian Electric Company. Jamila oversees EoT’s strategy to support the rapid growth of EVs and EV load. In 2019, Jamila was named one of Hawai‘i’s most influential young leaders by Pacific Business News as one of the 40 Under 40 and she was selected as a Pacific Century Fellow to be part of a cohort of emerging leaders creating innovative solutions to Hawai‘i’s problems. Most recently, she was selected as a 2024-2025 Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader.

Chelsea Cobb, Board Member

Chelsea M. Cobb, Esq. is an Associate at Bonner Sogi & Associates and a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  In addition to serving on the Board of the Pōpolo Project, she is also the sitting Vice President of the William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni Association.  Prior to law school, she worked as a Legislative Correspondent in the United States Senate Office of Senator Brian E. Schatz as part of the domestic policy staff handling Transportation, Housing, and Native Hawaiian Affairs.  Outside of her professional activities, Chelsea is a haumāna of Hālau Hula ʻO Hokulani and has been practicing Hula for over 25 years. In 2013 she was asked to ʻūniki under Kumu Hula Hokulani DeRego and given the title of ʻŌlapa.

Robert Washington, Board Member

Robert is a Senior Account Supervisor at Anthology FINN Partners, where he uses his expertise in community engagement and outreach to create effective campaigns for clients. Before joining Anthology, he worked as a Senior Communication Specialist and Public Involvement Manager at Kiewit Corporation, showcasing his solid background in strategic communication.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Robert is deeply committed to community service. In addition to serving on the board of the Pōpolo Project, he is also a board member of Read to Me International, the Alliance Board for the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi and a dedicated member of the Rotary Club of Downtown Honolulu. Robert is a graduate of California State University, Chico, with a Bachelor of Arts in Multicultural and Gender Studies. In his personal life, he is an avid reader and prioritizes his well-being through daily meditation
and exercise. He also enjoys a good cup of coffee.

Altagracia Falvey, Board Secretary

Altagracia is an account executive at Anthology Marketing Group where she helps to develop and execute strategic marketing initiatives. She was formerly an account executive at Diane von Furstenberg and Rebecca Minkoff, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American literature, with a minor in Italian, from New York University.

Dr. Camonia Graham-Tutt, Board Member

Dr. Camonia R. Graham-Tutt is currently the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs serving as a senior advisor to the Vice Chancellor and Chancellor. She is also an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi- West Oʻahu.Camonia is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) making her uniquely qualified to assess, design and implement sustainable community health education programs that deliver positive benefits to vulnerable communities. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Baylor University in Health Science Education and her Ph.D. from Howard University in the field of Medical Sociology. She is the immediate past President and a lifetime member of the Hawai’i Public Health Association (HPHA). “Dr. C,” (as she is often referred to by her students) is dedicated to many service organizations where she serves community through local, national and global efforts. She is a compassionate researcher/educator that values the notion of creative education. She is known to elicit excellence from herself and others and encourages all who come in contact with her to be the change they want to see and more.

Marissa Commey, Board Member

Marissa Commey is a passionate community advocate, a committed builder of a more equitable
world, a lover of witty jokes and bad puns, and a professional multitasker who has spent her life and career tackling big challenges with creativity and heart. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University and has designed, launched, and led initiatives ranging from fundraising plans and board and staff trainings to community coalition building, cultural education programs, transformative justice policies, and strategic planning. She is the Development and HR Wellness Manager at Success Stories Program, an organization committed to building safer communities through transformative justice.

Carrie Brown, Board Member

Carrie was raised on Oʻahu and recently returned to the islands after 22 years away. In addition to Hawaiʻi, she’s called Chicago, Atlanta, the Pacific Northwest and West Africa home. She currently works in executive communications at Microsoft where she’s spent the last five years. Prior to that, she spent nearly a decade in marketing, public affairs and communications at The Coca-Cola Company. Her board experience includes serving on boards of various Northwestern University Alumni Club city chapters, as well as contributions to Shorefront Legacy Center, whose mission is to collect, preserve and share the stories of Black people throughout Chicago’s north shore. Carrie holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and is a proud graduate of Pearl City High School.