Oʻahu County
- Oʻahu County CARES Centers are home to the Master Gardeners, field research for edible crops, sustainable and organic agriculture, mitigating coconut rhinoceros beetles and invasive species, pesticide safety, livestock education, decorative flowers, nutrition education, and workforce and youth development.
- CARES Center staff mentor the next generation of food and farming leaders, natural resource managers, scientists, and agriculture professionals.
- The Urban Garden Center has grown and donated more than 60,000 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, and kalo to the Hawaii Foodbank, Aloha Harvest, and The Pantry since 2019.
County Administrator
|
Photo |
Name |
Location |
Position |
Contact Information |
Areas of Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jari Sugano |
Honolulu |
Oʻahu County Administrator |
suganoj@hawaii.edu |
|
Faculty
|
Photo |
Name |
Location |
Position |
Contact Information |
Areas of Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Amjad A. Ahmad |
Waimānalo |
Associate Extension Agent |
alobady@hawaii.edu |
Sustainable and Organic Agriculture, organic amendments, soil health, biochar, plant nutrition, crop diversity, variety selection |
|
Julia Avila |
Honolulu |
Assistant Extension Agent |
jav8@hawaii.edu |
Urban horticulture and food systems, ethnoecology, ethnobotany, agrobiodiversity conservation, environmental education |
|
|
|
Yunuen Bustamante |
Assistant Extension Agent |
yunuenb@hawaii.edu |
Livestock production, livestock backyard production, 4H livestock, silvopasture systems |
|
|
|
Mark Dragich |
Honolulu |
Assistant Extension Agent |
dragich@hawaii.edu |
Pesticide Safety Education and Invasive Species Management |
|
|
Christine Hanakawa |
Honolulu |
Assistant Extension |
chanakaw@hawaii.edu |
4-H Positive Youth Development; working with youth, families, and communities through non-formal education and outreach; collaborations with community partners and schools; adult volunteers and youth engaged in general gardening and agricultural food systems, STEM, leadership, workforce development and entrepreneurship, and service-learning opportunities. |
|
|
Tina Lau |
Pearl City |
Junior Extension Agent Oʻahu Master Gardener Coordinator |
tinat@hawaii.edu |
Native Hawaiian plants, vegetable gardening, botany |
|
|
Alberto Ricordi |
Pearl City |
Assistant Extension Agent |
albertoh@hawaii.edu |
Ornamentals and landscape |
|
|
Joshua Silva |
Leeward Oʻahu |
Assistant Extension Agent |
jhsilva@hawaii.edu |
Edible crop issues (fertilizers, pests/diseases, food safety) |
|
|
Jensen Uyeda |
Central Oʻahu |
Extension Agent |
juyeda@hawaii.edu |
Irrigation, nutrient management, crop issues (fertilizers, pests/diseases) |
Staff
| Photo | Name | Location | Position | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Beatriz "Bea" Aragon-Balgas | Pearl City | Administrative Assistant | |
|
Angelito "Lito" Cacho | Waimānalo | Ag Tech | cachoam@hawaii.edu |
| Rommel Corrales | Waimānalo | Ag Tech | rommelc@hawaii.edu | |
| Richard Fisher | Pearl City | Senior Research Support | ||
| Christine "Loke" Koahou | Pearl City | Office Assistant | ||
| Curtis Kobashigawa | Waimānalo | Ag Tech | curtisak@hawaii.edu | |
| James Malanaphy | Waimānalo | Research Support | jmalanap@hawaii.edu | |
| Richard Mercado | Pearl City | Ag Tech | mercado3@hawaii.edu | |
| Thomas Miyashiro | Poamoho | Ag Tech | thomasmi@hawaii.edu |