Advisory Board Member

Meet Jeannette

Jeannette Soon-Ludes, PhD, was born on Oʻahu and raised in Koʻolaupoko where she developed a deep love for the lands and waters of her ancestors. With their guidance, Jeannette navigated college education abroad and eventually found her way back home. Today, Kalōpā, Hāmākua is the ʻāina that she strives to nurture and, in turn, the ʻāina that will sustain her descendants to come. As a professional with experience at the intersections of equity, education, and agriculture, Dr. Soon-Ludes serves as the Executive Director for Mālaʻai, a Waimea-based non-profit that operates the Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School and is the hub of the Hawaiʻi Island School Garden Network. Their mission is to cultivate connections between people, land, culture, and food through school gardens.