My name is Leilani Maxera, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I use she/they pronouns. I am a daughter of the Hawaiian diaspora. I was raised in Martinez, California, by the Carquinez Strait and in the shadow of Mount Diablo. I grew up in the homeland of the Karkin and Muwekma Ohlone Tribes and was called home to Hawai’i in my early 30s. I currently live in Mānoa Valley by the Mānoa stream, at the base of Pu’upia of the Koʻolau Range.

I have a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Aging from the University of California – Berkeley and a Master of Social Work degree from Hawaiʻi Pacific University, where I wrote my thesis on home funerals and their effects on grief.I have worked and volunteered in harm reduction since 2007 and feel strongly about reducing the stigma of drug use. I previously managed a statewide syringe exchange and overdose prevention program, and currently work with other syringe exchange and service organizations to support their staff.