MEET THE SPEAKERS

Ku‘ulani Keohokalole established People Strategies Hawaiʻi in 2019 with the vision of growing the capacity of organizations to foster community-minded and people-oriented leaders. She trains, consults, and supports organizations across sectors and industries who are looking to transform around the ways they engage people to achieve their mission.

Kuʻulani was grounded in the traditional Native Hawaiian cultural practice of ho`oponopono by her grandmother, who was a community-based practitioner. The art of reconciliation, and making things right, guides her approach to facilitation and consultation with organizations, stemming from the belief that clients hold the answers to their own challenges, that who shows up and how they show up matters, and that waiting for the moment is key.

Kuʻulani received the distinctions of Pacific Business News’s “40 Under 40” in 2020 and Hawaiʻi Business Magazine’s “20 People To Watch for the Next 20 Years” in 2023. She is a sought-after speaker on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, Hawaiian & indigenous values, organizational culture and leadership, and psychological safety in the workplace. Past speaking engagements have included clients such as Amazon, Microsoft, New York University, Georgetown University, the East-West Center and the YWCA.

Kuʻulani holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a Master's of Arts degree in Education Leadership, Politics and Advocacy from New York University, and an Executive Certificate in Organizational Consulting & Change Leadership from Georgetown University.

Kyu (“Q”) Rhee, MD, MPP, joined NACHC in 2023 to lead efforts to advance health equity and support the mission of community health centers, which provide high-quality, affordable, transdisciplinary primary care services to more than 31.5 million people at over 14,000 sites across the nation.

As a purpose-driven physician executive, scientist, teacher, and entrepreneur, Dr. Rhee has a reputation synonymous with leadership, innovation, and transformation across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Throughout his career, Dr. Rhee has actively worked to advance primary care, public health, and health equity for underserved populations.

Before joining NACHC, Dr. Rhee held the position of Senior Vice President and Aetna Chief Medical Officers at CVS Health. He led a team of over 1,500 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals in the integration and delivery of clinical and population health solutions to improve the health and delivery of the “Quintuple Aim” for up to 65 million people via commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, behavioral health, digital health, student health, vision, dental, and voluntary health plans. Dr. Rhee served for a decade as the Chief Health Officer at IBM, where he and his team led IBM’s global efforts to transform health using data, analytics, artificial intelligence, services, and research.

During the time of the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Rhee held the office of Chief Public Health Officer at the Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr Rhee also worked at the National Institutes of Health as the Director of Innovation and Program Coordination.

Prior to his public service, Dr. Rhee was the Chief Medical Officer at Baltimore Medical System and worked as a National Health Services Corps primary care physician and Medical Director for Unity Health Care.

Dr. Rhee was Chief Resident and completed his medical residency training in both internal medicine and pediatrics at Cedars-Siani Medical Center in Los Angeles with dual board certification. He earned his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and also holds a master’s in health care policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry