The SEEQS Foundation
The SEEQS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which serves as a supporting organization to SEEQS within section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The SEEQS Foundation operates exclusively for the benefit of, to perform the functions of, and to carry out the purposes of SEEQS.
Richard Wallsgrove - President
Richard Wallsgrove is an Assistant Professor working with the Environmental Law Program at the William S. Richardson School of Law. Prior to this, he served as the Policy Director for the Blue Planet Foundation, where he advocated for clean energy policy solutions and managed a range of energy initiatives. Richard has worked with the Center for Island Climate Adaptation & Policy to analyze climate change adaptation tools for managing water resources in the Pacific. He also spent time as an attorney in Honolulu, handling complex litigation on a wide range of issues. In 2014, he was selected as one of the Pacific Business News “40 Under Forty” young business and community leaders. Richard is a graduate (summa cum laude) of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai'i (UH). While at UH, he also performed field and laboratory research on biochemical markers of climate change (MS, Chemical Oceanography). At the University of California at Berkeley, he studied chemistry (BS).
John Foster - Vice President
John Foster is a Business Consultant with ALTRES. Prior to ALTRES, he served as Vice-President at Monarch Insurance Services where he specialized in tailoring commercial property and casualty risk management programs for Hawaii businesses. Before this, John spent ten years working for local insurance carriers. Most recently, he was responsible for new business development at First Insurance Company of Hawaii. While at First Insurance, John spearheaded software projects and was responsible for various new product launches and managing multiple business units. John spent the first ten years of his working career in Hong Kong, seeking roles with increasing responsibility in banking, consulting, IT and manufacturing. His final role in Hong Kong was Director of Engineering & Sales for Cooper Industries, a Fortune 100 diversified manufacturing conglomerate. John graduated with honors from Middlebury College, his degree in East Asian Studies. John and his wife, Nina, are raising three children.
Kevin Luoma - Treasurer
Kevin Luoma is currently Vice President at WSP, a global engineering consulting firm, and works out of the local office in downtown Honolulu. He has over 20 years of experience providing mechanical engineering consulting services specializing in building systems to a broad range of projects including High Rise Residential, Higher Education, Hospitality, Retail, Laboratories and Hospitals. Prior to WSP, he worked in Chicago for ESD, another engineering consulting firm.
As Vice President of WSP’s Property and Buildings office in Honolulu, He leads the mechanical team with overall responsibility on the delivery of engineering consulting services covering everything from feasibility assessments and systems master planning, to design, commissioning and operational performance verification. His passion lies with delivering creative, high performance building solutions to his clients, solutions that are practical, maintainable and resource-responsible.
He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and earned varsity letters in Track and Cross Country. He is a former president of the ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter, LEED Accredited Professional and is licensed in multiple states delivering projects throughout the U.S. and the Pacific, including American Samoa, Guam and Saipan. Kevin loves spending time outdoors with his wife Nikol and two children, Kaha'i and Nya. Kaha'i is a current SEEQS student and Nya is a student at Kamehameha.
Vincent Kimura
Born in Honolulu and raised in various Asian countries, Vincent has worked for over 25 years in entrepreneurship, industry and non-profits for organizations such as the University of Hawaii Office of Innovation & Commercialization, KPMG Consulting, the Pacific Basin Economic Council, the Institute for Triple Helix Innovation (DoD funded innovation research), and as an entrepreneur running three startups. He is the lead founder and President of Smart Yields, a Hawaii-based and globally recognized agriculture technology company that is revolutionizing the way small- and medium-scale farms operate.
He holds an MBA from Thunderbird, Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Oregon State University. He has also earned certifications in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Government Cost Accounting from George Washington University, and is a certified Food Safety Scheme Practitioner under the Global Food Safety Initiative. He currently sits on the boards for the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, the Hawaii Farmers Union United, and Kokua Market Cooperative.
Vincent was named to the Pacific Business News '40 Under 40' cohort (2016), is the 2016 Clean Tech/Ag Entrepreneur by the Hawaii Venture Capital Association, in 2021, a 20 for the next 20 (Hawaii Business Magazine) and was just named a Power Leader (Pacific Business News) for 2023. He lives in Honolulu, father of three children, one of whom is a current SEEQS student.
Chase Livingston
Chase Livingston is a trial lawyer with the law firm Davis Levin Livingston, where he focuses on the representation of plaintiffs in cases involving violations of civil liberties, medical negligence, major personal injuries, and substantial commercial disputes. He also provides pro-bono legal services to several community organizations on environmental law, renewable energy, and climate justice issues. Prior to entering private practice, Chase served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Michael D. Wilson at the Hawai‘i Supreme Court.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Chase received his B.S. in Conservation Resource Studies from UC Berkeley in 2012, with his Junior year spent studying at the University of Ghana, Legon. Following graduation from Berkeley, Chase spent several years as an educator in the energy and water conservation field before returning home to pursue a law degree at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i. In 2019, he graduated magna cum laude from the Richardson School of Law, where he received certificates in Environmental Law and Native Hawaiian Rights. As a musician, mountaineer, and waterman who is passionate about social and environmental justice, Chase ardently supports SEEQS’s vision that SEEQers will be “stewards of planet Earth and healthy, effective citizens of the world.”
Bradley J. Punu
Brad Punu has over 25 years of experience in finance, entrepreneurship, and innovation, most of which was international, and a lifetime of climate passion rooted in an upbringing in Hawaii and his Niuean heritage. Brad is currently appointed as the Deputy CFO of The Green Climate Fund, the world's largest investment fund focused on preventing climate change and associated with the United Nations. He attended Princeton University and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a Certificate in Environmental Studies graduating in 1997. He spent over 15 years in Asia, the majority of it with JP Morgan, building complex derivatives businesses across Asia while living in Tokyo and Hong Kong, finishing his time there as a Managing Director. Brad returned to Hawaii for family reasons and got involved with a number of impactful projects working for Elemental Excelerator, American Savings Bank, Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning and Anatha. In his free time, in addition to serving on the SEEQS Foundation board, Brad volunteers with the Trust for Public Land and serves on the Hawaii Pacific Export Council where he was appointed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. He also holds the designation of Certified International Wealth Manager with the Association of International Wealth Managers.
Dr. Evan Reppun Beachy
Born and raised in Kahalu'u on O’ahu’s windward side, Dr. Evan Reppun Beachy carries on his ‘ohana’s legacy of activism. A lifelong educator who began as a Coach at Hawai’i Special Olympics while in the 9th grade, he currently serves as the Senior Education Consultant at Kamehameha Schools in the Strategy & Transformation division. His journey in education, which includes experiences in school leadership, teaching, and coaching, has led him to present at various conferences and organizations across the country. Evan graduated cum laude with a degree in Anthropology and a Teaching Credential from Harvard University and earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at UCLA in 2005. Known as a passionate visionary, an innovator, and an implementer, his curiosity and commitment to sustainability and deeper learning resonate with the mission of SEEQS. As a parent of a current SEEQS student, he brings a personal connection to his role on the Foundation Board.