Hui o Laka: Executive Director
Marsha Erickson
Executive Director
Hui o Laka’s Executive Director since 1987, Marsha Erickson has 35 years of non-profit administrative experience in Hawaii. Many of the programs she created during her 13-year tenure (1973-1986) at Volcano Art Center persist to this day;
for instance the Ho’oulu Ka Hula series and the Volcano Wilderness Marathon & Rim run, both continous attractions since 1983.
Erickson’s interest in Hawaiian conservation began in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where she worked as Park Technician for Don Reeser, now a legend in Hawaii resources management. Seven years of study with Halau o Kekuhi, led by Nalani Kanaka’ole and Pualani Kanahele, marked her forever with a Hawaiian world view.
She developed expertise working with historic structures, beginning with the 1877 Volcano House in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1976 when it was restored. Like many in Hawaii, she was mentored by Barnes Riznik, a national preservation leader. At Koke’e, she has pioneered renovations to the Civilian Conservation Corps (link), which was placed on the State and National Historic Registers in 1996.
At Koke’e, she has created two annual festivals (link), forest craft workshops (link), guided Wonderwalks (link), and a park stewardship program, Kokua Kokee. (link).
In 2003, Erickson was honored with the Hookee Award for excellence in non profit leadership by Hawaii Community Foundation and the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. She has served on many boards, and is currently an active member of Kauai Planning and Action Alliance’s Park Action Team. In 2008, she was presented with the SGI-USA Humanitarian Award.