Our Mission

Roots Reborn is dedicated to
serving our migrant and immigrant
community impacted by the Maui fires.
Growing to support our community
for years to come.

Our Ethos

We stand as a compassionate and trusted advocate for immigrants and migrants, dedicated to understanding and addressing their unique challenges and needs. Embraced by the broader community, we use our platform to shine a light on the issues faced by those we serve, working to ensure they receive the right support and resources in ways that are meaningful and impactful.

The trust we have built within these communities, often wary of traditional authority, allows us to bridge divides and create a safe space for support and empowerment. In the wake of disasters like the recent fires, we see community members reaching out to us for help. At Roots Reborn, we uplift these voices, foster resilience, and ensure every individual has the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Meet the Team

The Roots Reborn team is made up of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, many of whom are immigrants or children of immigrants themselves. This shared experience creates a profound connection with the communities we serve, fostering trust and understanding as our team members truly grasp the unique challenges faced by those who may feel overlooked or marginalized.

Founders and Team

  • Veronica was born and raised in Santa Ana, Califas by a community of immigrants and spent 15 of her most formative years in Chicago. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Studies from DePaul University in Chicago which informs her understanding of how immigrant rights are fundamentally intertwined with environmental crises that disproportionately target oppressed communities, including those in Lāhainā. In Maui, she has devoted herself to pro bono casework, a commitment that intensified following the Maui wildfires. Recognizing the vast and varied needs of the local immigrant community in the recovery process, Veronica has focused on mobilizing and empowering young leaders from these communities, believing strongly in their capacity to drive change. She is a proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico and mother to a mixed Mestizo-Hawaiian `ohana. 

  • Khara Jabola-Carolus is a co-founder of Roots Reborn. She is a proud daughter of an immigrant from the Philippines. Khara served as the Executive Director of the State of Hawaiʻi’s Commission on the Status of Women for over half a decade, recently departing to join the Global Center for Gender Equality out of Stanford University. Khara pioneered a women-centered economic recovery plan during COVID-19 which was heralded by United Nations Women and adapted globally by various nation-states, universities, and NGOs. She has also helmed the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights and successfully led the statewide legislative campaign to grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. Khara holds a Juris Doctor with a specialization in Native Hawaiian rights.

  • Kevin J Block is a dedicated, experienced, and passionate immigration attorney in Maui and the founder of Maui Immigration Law, LLC. The son of an immigrant and the parent of an immigrant, Block is passionate about the positive contributions immigrants make to our Hawaiian community and throughout the U.S. His legal career and long history of service to the community are a testament to his dedication and commitment to social justice.

  • Leslee Matthews is the Founder & Managing Attorney for Speak Out & Up Law, LLC. She is also a Social Worker who is an advocate for social justice and passionate about connecting the community with resources. Leslee grew up on Maui and attended law school at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

    Leslee has served as a Legislative Attorney with the Maui County Council and a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. She has also served as a Legislative Attorney with Hawaiʻi Senator Rhoads and the Senate Committee on Judiciary. She is the Vice President of African Americans on Maui Association, Immediate Past President of the African American Lawyers Association of Hawaiʻi, Immediate Past President of the Maui County Bar Association, Board Member of the HSBA’s Government Lawyers Section, and a Member of the Women’s Prison Project. Leslee serves as Special Counsel to the Judiciary and a Lecturer for the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

  • Aparna Patrie is a dedicated and passionate immigration attorney with over a decade of experience in civil litigation and federal policy. Aparna has represented clients in asylum and removal proceedings, drafted judicial opinions on a wide variety of immigration issues for the U.S. Court of Appeals, and provided advice to noncitizens considering their immigration options, from asylum to TPS to work authorization issues. As a proud immigrant from India and Indonesia, she arrived in the United States at age 13 before naturalizing in her 20s.

    Aparna received her Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown Law, magna cum laude, in 2015. While in law school, she represented a detained immigrant in removal from proceedings from El Salvador and successfully won withholding removal on his behalf. She also did internships at the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights. After law school, Aparna clerked for the Honorable Majorie O. Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where she handled all of the complex immigration appeals that came before the court. Aparna also has years of experience as a lawyer for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where federal immigration laws are drafted, and as a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is barred in New York.Aparna lives in Lahaina with her husband and three kids and is passionate about helping her community heal, recover, and rebuild after the wildfires.

  • Dania, originally from Chiapas, Mexico, made Maui her home in 2003 when she was just 5 years old. Growing up, she attended Princess Nahi`ena`ena Elementary School, Lahaina Intermediate, and Lahainaluna High School, shaping her upbringing within the Lahaina community for the past 21 years. Even from a young age, Dania felt a strong connection to her latinx community, often serving as a translator. Despite initially struggling with English upon her arrival in Maui, she dedicated herself to mastering the language to better assist her immigrant parents and her community. While she has worked in the tourism industry, Dania is now excited to join Roots Reborn, eager to contribute to a cause she believes in passionately.

  • Born and raised in Southern California and a proud daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador, Lily has called Hawai’i home for the last 16 years. In the aftermath of the devastating fires, Lily assisted with various initiatives including fundraising initiatives, donation distributions, and language translation. Lily holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the University of Hawai’i and has worked in the environmental education field until transitioning to her current position at Roots Reborn. She is passionate about advocating for equitable access to resources and support for the immigrant community.

  • AnnDionne was born in Pohnpei Micronesia and moved to Maui at the age of 6 with her mother and younger sister. They moved to Hawai’i in hopes of living a better life. Growing up as an immigrant, she had a difficult time in school because of the language barrier. Her parents worked two jobs to make ends meet while she cared for her younger sister. This impacted her schooling but only made her more determined to work harder. She is a proud magna cum laude King Kekaulike high school graduate. She joined Roots Reborn in January 2024 to serve her community, culture, and people.

  • Katheleen Cardenas Haro is the child of immigrant parents who came from Guadalajara and Tuxpan, Mexico. Born and raised on Maui, she grew up in Lahaina, where she also attended school. Deeply connected to her roots, Katheleen holds immense love for the place where she grew up and the community that shaped her. Recognizing that Lahaina is home to many documented and undocumented Latinos, she is passionate about giving back to her community. Her goal is to support and inspire hope for a brighter future among those who share her background and experiences.

  • Alondra Galindo G carries a name symbolizing freedom, a gift from her mother. Born in Puebla, Mexico, she moved to Maui with her family in 2012 at the age of nine. Alondra is grateful to have spent most of her life in the Kingdom of Hawai’i, embracing the island that has given her family so much. However, Mexico remains a significant part of her identity, shaping her values and worldview. 

    A curious and creative individual, Alondra has a passion for learning, exploring new ideas, and engaging in thought-provoking conversations. She loves connecting with people and is an avid traveler, always eager to experience new places and cultures. Alondra thrives in challenging environments that encourage her growth.

    As a survivor of the devastating Maui fires on August 8, 2023, Alondra immediately stepped up to help her community. She cooked in community hubs, distributed resources, and assisted the Maui Humane Society. Now, she's eager to continue contributing to the island's recovery through her work at Roots Reborn.


  • Sue Ellen William was born and raised in Pohnpei, Micronesia, moved to Maui in 2016 to pursue her education. Though her academic plans shifted, her path of personal growth and service unfolded in powerful ways. After spending five years on the U.S. mainland gaining valuable life experience, she returned to Maui in 2021 and began working in the tourism industry.
    The 2023 Maui wildfires brought sudden change when she lost her job—but rather than stepping back, Sue stepped in. She volunteered with the Red Cross, offering crucial interpretation services for the COFA (Compact of Free Association) community, helping ensure that needs were understood and voices were heard.
    Soon after, Sue Ellen learned about Roots through social media and felt called to support the organization’s outreach in her own community. Inspired by their mission, she joined the team as a Community Care Navigator. Today, she brings empathy, cultural insight, and unwavering dedication to her work—committed to helping her community heal, rebuild, and thrive.

  • Monse, who was raised on Maui, is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sustainability Science Management at the University of Hawai’i on Maui. She is deeply engaged in her community, valuing hands-on experiences and connections with others. Her church has played a significant role in helping her stay connected to her cultural roots, and she credits her immigrant community with teaching her resilience, hard work, optimism, and kindness. Growing up in Hawaii reinforced her belief in the values of family, community, and kuleana (responsibility), emphasizing the importance of collective effort. With her bilingual skills and education, Monse hopes to give back to the community that shaped her while continuing to grow through active involvement.

  • Born in California, Stephanie moved to Lahaina, Maui at three years of age. Growing up in the Lahaina community, she attended King Kamehameha III Elementary, Lahaina Intermediate, and is a proud graduate of Lahainaluna High School. Stephanie experienced first-hand the lack of legal assistance on Maui when her husband of 10 years was deported to Mexico. She’s been traveling back and forth to Mexico with her daughter over the last four years. Before joining the Roots Reborn team, Stephanie worked in the restaurant industry. Using her people skills, she works closely with individuals and families to navigate resources. With her own experiences and support network, including her mother and neighbors, she learned the importance of taking care of each other.

  • Evelyn Del Valle, a Maui native, emerges from a rich heritage as the youngest member of a large Guatemalan family. Evelyn attributes her education success to being a part of Head Start during her formative years. Participating in Head Start taught her so many things, one of which was how to speak English. She started her professional career in early childhood education in 2018. Her love and dedication to the field drove her to pursue her Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. With that degree, she continued to create safe and nurturing environments for young minds. She then was able to reciprocate the learning and guidance in her role as a Head Start Teacher. With her familial roots deeply embedded in Maui, since their parents' arrival to Maui over three decades ago, she has a connection that runs profound and is committed to always spreading the Aloha spirit. She is proud to have grown up on an island with abundant beauty and culture.

  • Mexican-born and border-town raised, Annie is proud to join the Roots Reborn team with a decade of experience in development, operations and nonprofit management. She graduated with a BS in Child and Family Studies from LSU, which fuels her passion for driving positive systemic change, while keeping a focus on compassion, empathy and meeting individuals' emotional needs. Annie spent 5 years working with a disaster relief organization- living and working alongside communities around the world in their recoveries after various natural disasters, which brought her to Maui. This community's resilience, spirit of aloha and fight to build back better- with the people of Lahaina at the forefront of the recovery- captivated her. She knew she wanted to join the fight and amplify the voices of our marginalized communities. She has spent the last few years traveling throughout Latinoamérica, falling in love with each community's unique culture, traditions, and resilience, while recognizing the bond that holds Latinxs together—their shared history, values, and sense of solidarity.

  • Ethnic Studies Ph.D. Student at University of California Riverside.

  • Monica is a proud first-generation college graduate, born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago with deep roots in Michoacán, Mexico. Growing up in a multigenerational immigrant household, she often served as a translator and advocate for her family. These experiences exposed her early on to the systemic inequities immigrant communities face. These moments shaped her passion for justice and inspired her to pursue a degree in Political Science, driven by a commitment to uplift the very communities most often targeted and misunderstood by government policy.

    While supporting herself through college, Monica remained deeply connected to immigrant advocacy work, translating lived experience into action. Today, she brings that same dedication to her role at Roots Reborn, where she builds trust with immigrant and migrant communities through culturally rooted, trauma-informed support. Whether responding to crises or navigating complex legal systems, Monica centers dignity, understanding, and empowerment in all that she does, ensuring those too often excluded are heard, supported, and seen.

Board of Directors

  • Lovely-Frances (or just Lovely) Domingo is a Manila-born, Maui-raised Filipina and proud alumna of Lokelani Intermediate and Maui High School. As first generation college student, she often serves as a mentor for young scholars and their families in navigating the process of pursuing higher education and beyond. Her experience as a young immigrant tasked with translating across different languages — to/from English, to/from Tagalog, to/from Ilocano -- has opened her eyes to the challenges immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities face, particularly when using technology to seek critical information services. This experience inspired a lifelong passion for research and community advocacy to develop ethical and equitable practices in designing technology that meets everyday information needs of people. Currently, she is PhD candidate at the University of Maryland College of Information (INFO), has a MS in Information Management (MSIM) from the University of Washington Information School, and a BA in English, minor in History from UW. She has more than 20 years of working with nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest/Greater Seattle region, as well as professional background in community technology, education, and cybersecurity consulting. 

  • Christine Andrews is a Maui lawyer with a background in nonprofit and government project management, including needs assessment, coalition-building, public-private partnerships, grant-writing, and project development, implementation, evaluation and expansion. Her programs have become national models, and she has published twelve peer-reviewed papers on her work. Her policy and outreach work have focused on gender and racial/ethnic equity, public health, clean air, regulatory compliance, and energy transition. Christine spearheaded a broad-based coalition on Maui over the course of three years to address violations of the Clean Air Act. The effort resulted in a $1.3 million fine against the violating entity and an investigation by the EPA. She was a plaintiff in related litigation that set legal precedent in Hawai`i. Retired since 2021, Christine spent twenty years running a small business on Maui and is certified trauma coach and meditation teacher.

  • Executive Director, J. Walter Cameron Center

    Cesar brings over 29 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management, community development, and sustainability projects. As the Executive Director of the J. Walter Cameron Center, he oversees operations supporting 24 nonprofits that collectively serve over 60,000 individuals annually. With expertise in grant stewardship and facilities oversight, Cesar has led several impactful projects, including energy conservation initiatives and community outreach programs. He has also held leadership roles with the Maui High School Community Council, Maui Economic Opportunity, Rotary, Na Hale O Maui, Maui County Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and the Maui Nonprofit Directors Association. He is also a proud graduate of the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows Program, dedicated to leadership and sustainability in Maui.

  • Besides being blessed to be raised on Maui for the past 22 years, this Mexico born Latina, has lived and seen how quickly the Latino community of Maui has grown. Calling Maui her home and shortly after graduating from the Maui High School (Class of 2007!); became naturally involved in helping to interpret/translate for those with a limited-english proficiency community who's first language is Spanish.

    Through her work history as a Program Specialist at the Enlace Hispano Program at MEO (Maui Economic Opportunity, INC.) In 2013 to currently working as a full-time certified immigration paralegal side-by-side with the well known immigration attorney Kevin Block; Lizz has discovered that she loves the satisfaction of helping others. She has developed a high level of expertise with immigration law and is one of the most friendly and helpful faces of Maui. Also currently part of the AAP- AILA's Affiliated Paralegals and recently fully honored to be a board member of the Roots Reborn Organization and continue helping the needing and growing community of Maui.

  • Tom, a dedicated advocate and seasoned leader in the non-profit sector, has devoted 54 years to serving at local, county, and federal levels, impacting countless lives across the nation. As senior staff at Centro de la Raza in Long Beach, CA, and Carson Community Action in Carson, CA, he spearheaded vital community initiatives before managing the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program for 13 states and later leading nation-wide energy programs for seasonal farmworkers. Tom’s expertise saw him rise to National Director of Special Projects for the National Association of Community Action Agencies (NACAA), and he served as Chief of Staff to the Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee, as well as Director of Transportation for the 1985 San Francisco Democratic National Convention. With a rich family heritage—his ancestors moved to Hawaii in 1870 and included an assistant to the Bishop of Honolulu and an amateur entomologist who discovered the Blackburn Sphinx Moth—Tom himself relocated to Hawaii in 1998. There, he thrived as a freelance writer, news anchor, and award-winning radio talk show host on two stations, while also directing special projects for MEO, leading development for the Cameron Center, and serving as lead writer for the MEO/County 9/11 assistance program. Currently residing in Kihei, Tom is a proud father of three, with one child deceased, and remains deeply committed to his community and family legacy.

Help Strengthen Our Community Together