Born in Italy, in the small village of Uggiate, Gigi, came to Hawai'i after being deported from the Philippines as a Catholic priest in 1976. He soon became involved in the struggle for social justice for the Leprosy patients of Hale Mohalu, and for human rights in the Philippines. He has made Makaha his home, and in 1979 became one of the founders of Hoa 'Aina O Makaha. Gigi continues to be involved with social justice issues in his community and globally. In his quest for global peace, Gigi has planted seeds of hope by organizing a cultural exchange program that gave the opportunity to several young people and adults living and working in Wai'anae a chance to share the Hawaiian culture through songs and dances to the people of Italy. In 1998, the halau, Pumehana Me Ke Aloha Mai Hawai'i, performed in Venice in San Marco square, returning in the year 2000, the halau were fortunate enough to meet Pope John Paul II in Rome and participated in a cultural exchange conference in Uggiate along with six other countries. As Executive Director of Hoa 'Aina O Makaha, Gigi oversees all programs and staff on the farm. Presently, he resides in Hoa 'Aina O Makaha with his wife Judy and son Pomaika'i.

Born in Hawai'i, Judy has been involved in her community since 1974. With Sr. Anna McAnany as her mentor, Judy has been involved with women’s issues of family and health. Her involvement with the Women’s Support Group led her back to school and in 1991, graduated from the University of Hawaii-West O'ahu. She has worked as a documenter for the Cancer Research Project, gathering and collecting stories from women in her community, that were experiencing health problems and breast cancer. She has also worked as a Case worker/Health Educator for the Sex Abuse Treatment Program of the Wai'anae Coast Community Health Center. Currently she has undertaken the administrative duties of Hoa 'Aina O Makaha and coordinates the scheduling of visiting schools for the Learning Center.

The newest addition to our staff is Lavette Roque. Lavette is a dynamic and energetic twenty-two year old young lady, born and raised in Wai`anae. She graduated from Wai`anae High School. In May 2005, the position for Ke Ala coordinator became vacant. Trusting that the right person would appear at our doorstep to fill the position was a miracle in itself. Lavette found out from a family friend that we were looking for a person who liked animals and kids. Lavette came to our doorsteps, literally, and inquired about the vacant position. She had no experience working with children or animals but was willing to learn, in her words, "I am willing to learn and I'm a fast learner." Needless to say she was hired for the position. Today Lavette is the coordinator for the animal component of Ke Ala. And she has been true to her word, she's a fast learner and continues to take the initiative to learn all she can about animals and plants. Lavette plans to continue her education to become a teacher. She greets everyone with a big bright smile. Hoa` Aina is very fortunate to have her as part of our `Ohana.

Scott Oberg is a native Chicagoan. He came to Makaha as a teacher. He was assigned to teach Kindergarten for two years. When the position for a Ke Ala coordinator was vacant, Scott decided to fill the position. Currently his position is being paid by the Department of Education for the Leeward District. He is the plant component coordinator and run the Ke Ala tour along with Lavette. Scott has been referred to as the gentle giant. He can be seen with a group of small preschool/ kindergarten students as they walk toward the Learning Center Gardens. With a straight face, Scott has kept the students and teachers looking for an imaginary monkey in the banana patch. The kids believe his story and so do some of the teachers! Scott is currently going for his master's degree in education.

Twenty-six years ago when the farm was just starting out, there was an alternative program for youth who were not succeeding in a regular classroom environment. Louis was one of those students. One day on a scheduled work day for the CreditWork program, Louis came to work with his son, his response to the farm after twenty-six years was, "I used to be here, many things are changed" (since the alternative school days).

Louis is a skilled and talented person, he is the "McGyver" of the Farm. If anything needs to be repaired, Louis is the person you can count on. He the mechanic, plumber, electrician and our security developer person. You can also find him up in a tree, trimming the branches, or on the tractor plowing the fields for planting or fixing a broken water pipe or with the weed eater or lawnmower cutting and trimming the grass. The farm is well maintained because of Louis. Louis maybe shy when there is a large group of people on the farm, but he has a great sense of humor!