Michele Navarro Ishiki

Michele Navarro Ishiki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who is the Founder and Executive Director of Piha Wellness and Healing, a non-profit on Maui, they provide emotional support and mental health services to our community. Born and raised in Pāʻia Maui, she spent over 20 years of her professional career in nonprofit and for-profit organizations providing clinical oversight of residential drug treatment facilities and its continuum. She is a founding member of Pouhana O Nā Wāhine, the first federally funded Native Hawaiian Resource Center in Hawaiʻi, created to help Native Hawaiian families address domestic violence. She was also their Board President from 2022-2025. In addition to her LCSW, Michele has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, formerly known as the Myron B Thompson School of Social Work, at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is also certified by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division as a Clinical Supervisor (CCS), and Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in the State of Hawai‘i. She is an Internationally Certified Clinical Supervisor (ICCS) and Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC).

• 2025 National Association of Social Workers Public Citizen Award Recipient
• She serves as the Maui Representative on the board of Directors for the National Association of Social Workers Hawaiʻi Chapter
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Engagement (DEIE) Advisory Committee
• Culture and Addictions Advisory Council – Papa Ola Lokahi
• She has also served as the Hawai’i Delegate on the Board of Directors of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center in 2015-2017