Luanna Peterson

• Lead curriculum development and instruction for statewide leadership fellowships engaging 500+ mothers of color across 13 states, mobilizing grassroots advocacy impacting 45,000+ households through 50+ community events and 22,000+ canvassing visits.
• Support grant proposal development, assessment and evaluation, strategic planning, multi-year funding acquisition, and compliance reporting, ensuring sustained program growth and impact.
• Designed and implemented programmatic pathways enabling fellows to collaborate with coalitions, resulting in landmark policy wins such as earned paid sick leave and minimum wage increases.
• Mentor and manage diverse program teams, fostering culturally grounded, data-driven approaches to advocacy and leadership development.

• Designed and implemented evaluation frameworks leading to 95–100% of students showing gains in mālama ‘āina, pilina, and ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i proficiency, with up to 64% language growth in cohorts.
• Delivered over 30 educational site visits and presentations annually to 400+ students, integrating Hawaiian cultural values and academic standards.
• Managed grant compliance and reporting aligned with funder requirements, supporting program sustainability and capacity building.
• Facilitated educator focus groups and participatory evaluation to inform continuous improvement.

• Founded, developed and managed youth-focused screenwriting workshops at Halau Kū Mana that empowered students to advocate for social justice through storytelling.

• Directed development and evaluation of culture-based multimedia curriculum with 130+ lessons and 100+ knowledge resources across 12 schools, integrating academic credits with cultural learning standards.
• Led the creation and delivery of curriculum modules supporting academic success, multimedia and music production, and cultural benchmarks. This work culminated in a music video featuring 1,000+ youth performers, which garnered over 5 million social media views and statewide media attention.
• Supported grant writing, reporting, and fiscal stewardship, ensuring funding alignment and program sustainability.
• Built partnerships with local artists and educators to enhance program delivery and community engagement.

Created and implemented the inaugural place-based ESL immersion program and teacher training for Korean youth, integrating Hawaiian cultural values with ESL best practices to enhance language acquisition and cultural connection.

Designed and delivered culturally grounded STEM and environmental curriculum across K–12 partner schools, significantly increasing science proficiency and digital equity. Demonstrated benchmark mastery by implementing an innovative student-led Learning Results Portfolio that connected Hawai‘i Department of Education standards with culture-based project learning.

• Entered via an external grant-funded role and recruited by the school to teach full-time. Launched Grow Pono, a Furlough Friday initiative converting lost instructional days into civic, environmental, and cultural projects.
• Launched health and civic engagement curricula, boosting student leadership and community connection through project-based learning.

• Supported literacy development through student storytelling and managed communication between families and educators.

Oversaw adult literacy initiatives with integrated childcare services, expanding access for underserved, immigrant communities.

Delivered urban agriculture education and facilitated community engagement to promote environmental stewardship.