Aloha, I’m Sterling.

I work to build stronger communities and organizations across Hawai‘i—creating opportunities for families and the next generation.

Leadership & Service

I serve as Chair of the Hawai'i Community Development Authority, stewarding $327 million in public assets and guiding planning for Kakaʻako, Kalaeloa, Heʻeia, and Pulehunui.

I founded Housing Hawai‘i’s Future, a statewide movement that helped pass the most significant housing reforms in four decades. Through my consulting practice, Polcom, I help nonprofit leaders and government agencies with strategic planning.

Faith & Formation

My next chapter focuses on Hawai‘i’s spiritual and cultural inheritance. I’m pursuing an M.Div. and beginning work to recover and interpret Hawai‘i’s Christian heritage—history that shaped these islands but has become inaccessible to most pastors, educators, and lay leaders today. This work will serve Hawai‘i’s churches for generations.

I’m a husband and father of four. Faith guides this work—the conviction that the gospel changes people, and changed people build institutions that last.

Roots & Story

I grew up in Nu‘uanu near Foster Botanical Garden, raised by my mom. I attended Royal Elementary, Kawananakoa Middle, and Roosevelt High School. As a kid, I delivered the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and learned early what it meant to show up and work hard.

After graduating from UH Mānoa, I earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard. I returned home to teach performing arts at SEEQS, coach debate, and later lecture in communication at Hawai‘i Pacific University, where I was honored with the Golden Apple Award for Distinguished Teaching.

I’ve also written about leadership and civic life for Honolulu Civil Beat and Hawaii Business Magazine, with work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Let’s Connect

If this story resonates, I'd love to connect. Whether you're thinking about leadership, faith, or the future of Hawaiʻi — let's talk story. The best is yet to come. 🤙🏻