Mālia Sanders
Executive Director, Luna Hoʻokele, ʻAhahui Hoʻokipa ʻŌiwi Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
About this speaker
Mālia is kanaka ‘ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) and a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus, the University of Hawaiʻi and has over 20 years of upper management experience in the hospitality industry. Mālia is the Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA), a non-profit organization deeply rooted in perpetuating the authenticity of the Native Hawaiian culture and values in Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry through advocacy, education, training and program development.
Mālia serves as the Vice President of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu and is the Chair of the 2023 Holokū Ball. She also serves in a national capacity representing Hawaiʻi on the Board of Directors for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association. Mālia was recognized as the 2022 Social Impact Entrepreneur of the Year by the Hawaiʻi Venture Capitalist Association and was nationally featured in the 2022 Native American Women Leaders in Cultural Tourism by AIANTA. Mālia is also a 2022 Pineapple Award recipient which recognizes her contributions in hospitality leadership in Hawai‘i.
