For Kawika McKeague, the newly minted president of Honolulu-based G70, his roots in Hawai‘i mean everything.
McKeague told Aloha State Daily he's a product of a bicultural family that honored both its Hawaiian and German heritages, and was raised by his paternal grandparents from the age of 3.
"I feel in that regard I kind of carry a sense of their values and perceptions of the universe relative to the things that our grandparents cared about, the things that they taught in terms of just having strong work ethics and how to approach yourself in terms of your own kuleana to self, your kuleana to family, your kuleana to the communities you're in service of."
G70 — a Hawai‘i-based multi-discipline design firm founded in 1971 — specializes in architecture, interior design, civil engineering, planning and environment. McKeague recently assumed the role of president after being elected to the position in August 2024.
McKeague has a master's degree in planning, with an emphasis in environmental, land use and community planning. He has also trained with Kumu Hula Victoria Holt Takamine as a hula practitioner and community advocate.
Other passions — music and composition — are also rooted in Hawai‘i's culture. McKeague says he studied briefly with Cyril Pahinui before his passing.
"I find my return to source, if you will, is through music — whether it's through actual performance or just composition or just having a good backyard jam for folks, that's where I find my cup refilled."
In his new role, McKeague — who joined the firm as an entry-level planner in 2001 — will guide the G70's strategic direction, oversee its principal team and departments, and will lead cultural and community engagement initiatives. He also will continue to serve as a planning principal, the firm recently noted.
He spoke of his evolution over the past two-plus decades and said today he sees his sense of kuleana "as being one of the work we get to do on the daily — whether it's with our staff, whether it's with the communities we serve — is really trying to shape and improve upon the conditions of our human dignity."
Becoming president, "I get to explore that," he says.
And in a way, McKeague says he also gets to honor the words of his grandfather, shared with McKeague as a keiki: to seek self-improvement, not for your benefit or gain, but to be in continued service to others.
"I see the work here, not even as president, is not about what I can gain from it," he said, but rather how he can frame conversations "that lend to the moral ecology that I'd like to see continue to grow from here, because feel like we do have a strong moral ecology. But I'd like to see that go to the next level, and I see my role as president being one of protecting that moral ecology."
McKeague said architects, designers and planners today are tackling issues around the need for affordable and attainable housing, adaptive reuse of existing buildings, and a growing need for kūpuna living, among others.
He also highlighted some projects he's working on.
"I feel really excited and passionate about certain projects that are coming online that are relevant to building our community capacity," he said.
One is the Ko‘olauloa Community Resilience Hub with Hui o Hau‘ula, which McKeague said in a follow-up email to ASD aims to provide a storm-resistant shelter that can accommodate up to 1,500 individuals for 30 days during emergencies. Read more about the project here.
He said Plus Lab is the lead architect but G70 — especially its Planning and Civil Engineering team — is assisting with a number of facets of the project. The facility will include community kitchens, classrooms, computer labs, health and dialysis centers, and renewable energy sources with battery storage to enable off-grid operations for up to 30 days, McKeague said.
Another is the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' King's Landing Kuleana Homesteading Settlement plan, which McKeague says will offer more than 1,300 acres for a range of activities including community-based agriculture, community use and about 80 homestead lots under kuleana homesteading rules.
He says kuleana homesteading is for individuals who want to have the opportunity to homestead, "with very little need for the department to provide built infrastructure."
They do the planning, lot layout, address access and water, and it's up to those awarded those lots to "build the community that is necessary then to see success happen," he told ASD. "That particular model may not be for everyone. ... I'm speaking to some of the innovation that's out there and we get to be a small part of that conversation."
In addition to McKeague, Ryan Char also has assumed the role of chief operating officer, where he will oversee G70's organizational functions and day-to-day operations. He will continue serving as a civil engineering principal. They join CEO Linda Miki in leading the firm.
Former President and COO Charles Kaneshiro will remain a principal and now serves as chair of G70's board of directors. He succeeds Norman Hong, who has been named chairman emeritus.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
