Team
Our dedicated team works tirelessly to create and implement programs that inspire, engage, and educate audiences of all ages.
Kahilu staff is comprised of full- and part-time employees who generously share their passion and expertise in support of our organization’s mission and vision. Mahalo!
Misha Johnson – Managing Director
Kalaʻe Souza – Director of Operations
Kalaʻe is born and raised in the islands, and is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama campus. He lives in Hāwī, and is an avid fisher and diver. Kala’e also had cutting and reigning horses over the years, and enjoys hunting with his German Short Haired Pointers.
Fun fact: You might catch him at the Pine Trees line up.
Patty Bird – Audience Experience Director
Patty hails from Valparaiso, Indiana, and has spent the majority of her life in the Midwest. She has her B.A. in Acting with a concentration in Education, and has been acting, teaching, directing, and providing marketing/publicity for professional theatres in Chicagoland, for the past 30 years. Patty is excited to bring her talents to Kahilu and looks forward to sharing her theatrical passions with the community.
Fun Fact: One of Pattyʻs life goals is to go in a shark cage and take pictures of a great white shark up close and personal!
Michelle Romo – Development Director
After graduating Konawaena High School, Michelle earned a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Religion from Vanguard University. She is an educator at heart having taught voice and piano lessons to keiki for over 25 years. Michelle is thrilled to bring her grant and fundraising experience from Vanguard University, Laʻiʻōpua 2020, and Kona Historical Society to Kahilu, supporting music and the arts.
Fun Fact: When Michelle was 18 years old, she taught ballet classes to kindergarteners.
Originally from Southwestern Pennsylvania, Adam spent the last 12 years in Los Angeles working in television production. Starting as a production assistant on Hannah Montana and working his way up to Associate Producer on Disney, plus original programming and various projects in between, Adam is excited and grateful to bring his experience and skill set to help expand the reach and content creation of Kahilu Theatre and Kahilu.TV.
Fun Fact: Adamʻs personal record on a pogo stick is 2,222 bounces.
Danny Waddell – Marketing Director
The Marketing Director at Kahilu is responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies across all shows, events, and programs, including managing the production of promotional materials and overseeing digital marketing efforts. They also lead social media, audience data tracking, and email campaigns while supporting event preparation and managing marketing content creation and distribution.
Andy Behrle – Gallery Director
Andy was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He is an accomplished visual artist having exhibited his artwork in galleries, museums, and festivals around the world. Over the past 20 years, Andy has worked designing and installing exhibitions for contemporary masters, historical and cultural exhibitions, and community displays.
Fun Fact: While working for a museum in Arizona, Andy once hand delivered a moonrock to Houston that had been on loan from NASA. He garnered quite a bit of attention from TSA, when the lead box went through the x-ray machine.
