BOARD MEMBERS

Bruce Prunk currently paddles with the Keauhou Canoe Club and volunteers at Kahaluʻu Beach Park as part of the ReefTeach program.

In addition, Bruce has the following experience:

• Served with the Portland Police Bureau for 28 years and was the Assistant Chief of Police for eight years.

• Has over 30 years military experience in the Oregon Air National Guard, U.S. Air Force, and on the staff of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. His military experience includes a combat tour in Iraq in 2007. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2008 serving as Oregon’s Assistant Adjutant General and was Commander of the Oregon Air National Guard. 

• Was appointed by Oregon’s Governors Kitzhaber and Kulongoski to serve on and chair numerous State of Oregon task forces and commissions.

• Has served on the boards for a variety of non-profits to include the Portland’s Transition Projects, Police Activities League, Portland’s Lines for Life Suicide Hotline, Oregon National Guard Association Board, and still serves as board president of the Oregon National Guard’s Scholarship Fund.

• Is the co-founder of the Camp Rosenbaum Fund, a nonprofit serving low-income young people throughout Oregon and SW Washington. 

Julie Ziemelis is an avid community volunteer, leader, author, blogger, and vlogger. She founded the 365 Kona “Newbies” group in 2011 and since its inception has grown the group to over 3,000 members. Through this group, she encourages and places volunteers to raise funds for community needs, volunteer in leadership roles in non-profits in West Hawaiʻi, and helps organize special events.

In addition, Julie has the following experience:

• Earned a degree in Public Relations and Marketing from San Jose State.

• Founded Ziemelis Communications in 2010 when she moved to the island full time. This agency offers public relations, marketing, event planning, and social media to her clients. 

• Is a Realtor and serves as Program Chair for the West Hawaiʻi Association of Realtors helping implement events and raise funds for local charities.

• Serves as an advisory board member at Habitat for Humanity Hawaiʻi Island where she held the position of Vice President for two years.

• Helped create the Big Island Chocolate Festival and the Kona Cacao Association in 2012.

• Helped create TechConKona in 2011.

• Created the Best of Kona Festival in 2019. The Best of Kona Festival will continue with the 365 Hawaiʻi Island Community Fund to focus on economic development, cultural education and exposure for local non-profits to find volunteers and funders.

• Co-founded the popular 365 Hawaii YouTube channel along with her husband Eric. This channel showcases local businesses, non-profits, community issues, and events for the benefit of West Hawaiʻi.

Mike O’Connor is an avid scuba diver, kupuna softball player, and a Kailua Kona full-time resident since early 2022. 

In addition, Mike has the following experience:

• Earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and has worked in the computer & information technology industry for over 30 years serving in a variety of design, architecture, technical sales and leadership positions.

• Served as an Engineering Manager at Sun Microsystems.

• Served as Director of Systems Engineering at Oracle Corporation.

• Served as Senior Manager of Operations at Lacework. 

• Chaired the Foreign Exchange Student & annual Wine & Dine fundraising programs with the Rotary Club of Folsom, CA.

• Served as Treasurer of the International Segway Polo Association. 

Kristine Dunker is an avid ocean enthusiast and conservationist. She and her family are frequent visitors to Hawaiʻi Island and plan to become Hawaiʻi residents. When on island, she and her teenage son enjoy volunteering with ReefTeach at Kahaluʻu Bay. She loves to snorkel and scuba dive and cares immensely about the conservation of Hawaiʻi’s unique ecosystems, vibrant cultures, and island community.

In addition, Kristine has the following experience:

• Earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from Florida Atlantic University.

• Served as an aquatic ecologist in Everglades National Park. 

• Has led an aquatic invasive species program for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for the past 18 years. Throughout her career, Kristine has successfully acquired over $10M in grants for research, rapid response, and management of invasive fish populations in Southcentral Alaska.

• Has several scientific publications, including book chapters, and has built strong interagency and academic partnerships for her program. In this capacity, she served four years on the board of the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership and currently chairs two partnership committees. 

Cindi Punihaole is the Director of the Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center (KBEC) a program of The Kohala Center. She is a native of West Hawaiʻi and has cultivated a partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi to revive and revitalize Kahaluʻu Bay and Beach, a 4.2 acre county park in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island. She has a 15 year history of successful community development and public education experience, and received the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce Pualu Award for outstanding work in Environmental Awareness and the County of Hawaiʻi “Mayor’s Sustainability Achievement Award 2022”.

Cindi oversees all programs and activities at KBEC including the very successful and essential volunteer programs ReefTeach and Citizen Science. ReefTeach includes more than 400 volunteers and provides reef etiquette education at the bay. Citizen Science volunteers collect water quality and other environmental data in and around Kahaluʻu Bay to monitor the bay’s health. This intensive effort to preserve and restore the bay’s nearshore ecosystem has been accomplished through partnerships with community groups, universities, businesses, and government agencies. Under her leadership, Kahaluʻu Bay was designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot, and featured in the award-winning 2023 documentary, Keeper of the Bay.

Alayna Lawrence has had a lifelong passion for animals and the environment that has shaped both her personal and professional pursuits. As an active volunteer with multiple nonprofits, she believes that engaging with aloha is the most meaningful way to share important information with others. Through these organizations, she has embraced valuable educational opportunities, receiving training to perform fish surveys and coral spawning observations that contribute to citizen science programs.

Alayna has a deep appreciation for Hawaiian culture, including the study of the Hawaiian lunar calendar, and practices kilo — the art of careful environmental observation — to tune into the subtle changes happening in the natural world around her. Professionally, she channels her creativity and commitment to community as a digital marketer, specializing in website creation and maintenance for nonprofits and small businesses.