Our Team
Hawaiʻi Institute of Rainwater is guided by a five-member Board of Directors with experience in water resources, education, nonprofit leadership, public service, community development, agriculture, communications, and rainwater harvesting.
Together, the Board brings technical knowledge, local experience, and community perspective to advance HIOR’s five pillars and strengthen safe, sustainable, and resilient rainwater harvesting across Hawaiʻi.
Staff
Miranda Chien-Hale, Executive Director
Miranda Chien-Hale has early roots in Honolulu and is delighted to be back in Hawaiʻi, now in Hilo, serving as the Executive Director for the Hawaiʻi Institute of Rainwater. Miranda has spent the last decade deeply invested in environmental and water policy with experience at the academic, non-profit, private, state and federal levels. Most recently, Miranda hails from the Hawaiʻi District Health Office’s Public Health Preparedness Program. Before that, she spent over eight years at the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water involved in national program management of the Clean Water Act’s impaired waters program focusing on topics such as watershed protection, environmental justice, watershed management education and state-EPA relations.
Miranda earned a Master’s degree from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelor’s in Geology from Occidental College. Miranda looks forward to supporting HIOR’s efforts to provide safe, reliable and clean drinking water to those reliant on catchment systems for their water needs.
Board of Directors
Amanda Fong, Chair
Amanda Fong is a sustainable development professional who blends the disciplines of management, sustainability, and business to create lasting impact in her community. She is a former Foreign Service Officer, retired after 18 years of service with the United States Agency for International Development. She served tours of duty in South Africa, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan as well as with Power Africa, the continent-wide Presidential initiative to electrify Africa. As a policy specialist, program manager, and U.S. diplomat, she specialized in areas related to spurring economic growth to create jobs - energy, water, trade, finance, agriculture, public financial management, business enabling environment, and more.
Her work had a particular focus on uplifting and empowering vulnerable communities, especially women. Prior to joining USAID, Amanda worked in Beijing, China with a microfinance startup and served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in a small village in Cameroon.
She has an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. She is married with two children and currently lives with her family in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.
Raven Capone Benko, Secretary
Raven Capone Benko grew up living part time in Kaʻū and Colorado. Her youth on the Big Island instilled a fierce love of 'āina, inspiring her to pursue an education in marine biology, climate change policy, and science communication. After a decade of work in research science, communications, and policy with the US Geological Survey and the White House Council of Environmental Quality, she returned to the Big Island to impact these sectors locally. She is a strong proponent of community-led resource management and hopes to uplift the voices of those who have called Hawai‘i their home for generations.
Raven earned a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs & Climate Policy from the University of Washington, a Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology, and a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Policy from Western Washington University. She lives in Kaʻū with 9 rescue cats and is eager to work with communities across the Big Island to increase access and affordability of clean water through rainwater catchment policy and education.
Archer, Founder–Director
Archer is the Founder–Director of Hawaiʻi Institute of Rainwater, where she helps advance statewide efforts in education, standards and best practices, workforce development, community resilience, and policy coordination.
With nearly a decade of experience in rainwater harvesting education and community outreach, Archer co-founded Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC in Puna in 2017. Since then, she has helped lead more than 120 public education classes throughout the islands, supporting families who rely on rainwater catchment as their primary water source.
Her work brings together practical field experience, public education, community engagement, and a strong commitment to responsible water stewardship. Through HIOR, Archer is focused on strengthening collaboration among residents, professionals, agencies, businesses, and community partners while expanding access to trusted information and best practices.
Her guiding message remains simple:
“If you’re on catchment, you are the Water Department.
F’tahn Bey, Director
F’tahn Bey is the Owner of Waterwise Enterprise, a Hawaiʻi-based company specializing in the design, maintenance, and education of residential rainwater catchment systems. With nearly five years of hands-on industry experience and more than 50 recurring maintenance clients, he is committed to helping Hawaiʻi residents improve the safety, reliability, and longevity of their water systems.
As a husband, father, educator, and entrepreneur, F’tahn believes that access to clean water, practical education, and local self-reliance are essential to building stronger communities. Through his service on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Institute of Rainwater, he works to advance public awareness, strengthen industry standards, and support sustainable water practices that will benefit Hawaiʻi for generations to come.
Jade Chihara, Director
Jade Chihara is born and raised in Lahaina, Maui and now currently lives in 'Ōlaʻa, Hawaiʻi Island.
She is a Source Water Protection Specialist with the Hawaiʻi Rural Water Association, focused on protecting drinking water sources and supporting resilient rural communities throughout Hawaiʻi.
Jade is passionate about environmental stewardship, community collaboration, and practical problem-solving. Outside of work, she enjoys farming, homesteading, weaving, outdoor adventures, martial arts, and spending time with her family.