About me
Paul Kalani “Boboy” Kaawa Flores-Hatt, Jr. is a proud kupa (native) of the ahupuaʻa of Nānākuli in the moku of Waiʻanae, Oʻahu. He serves as a College Professor of ʻIke Hawaiʻi and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Culture and Place-Based Campus Coordinator, Division Chair for Kūlana Hawaiʻi – Hawaiian Programs Division, and Title III Grant Project Director at the University of Hawaiʻi–Honolulu Community College, where he leads initiatives advancing Native Hawaiian student success and institutional transformation.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian Language and a Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and brings over two decades of experience in K–12 and higher education grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy and Indigenous education frameworks.
Mr. Kaawa Flores-Hatt is a traditionally trained and recognized Kumu Hula of Hālau Nā Pua A Kapiʻolani in Nānākuli, having received huʻelepo rites in hula ʻōlapa, ʻalaʻapapa, hoʻopaʻa, and hula pahu. His cultural practice informs his leadership, scholarship, and community engagement.
A dedicated servant-leader, he serves in advisory and governance roles statewide and provides guidance to schools and Native Hawaiian-serving organizations in Culture- and Place-Based pedagogy and Native Hawaiian leadership development. His work centers on cultivating culturally grounded leaders committed to the advancement of Hawaiʻi and the lāhui.
