Leap Ambassador Profile

Kelvin H. Taketa is president and chief executive officer of the Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF)— the largest foundation in the state that works to transform lives and improve communities. In 2012, HCF administered $45 million in grants and contracts for programs and initiatives in Hawai’i. Born and raised in Hawai’i, Kelvin graduated from Colorado College and received his Juris Doctor from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law. He has spent his entire career in the nonprofit sector and helped found The Nature Conservancy of Hawai’i, where he served as executive director. In 2010, Kelvin was named in the Nonprofit Times Power & Influence Top 50, an annual listing of 50 influential executives in the nonprofit sector. He currently serves as a board member for Hawaiian Electric Industries and Hawaiian Electric Company, and as board treasurer for the Independent Sector, a leadership coalition of charities, foundations and corporate giving programs.