The UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) announced the 2026–2027 Hubert V. Everly Endowed Scholars in Education. This year’s scholars are Associate Professor Vail Matsumoto, Associate Professor Jennifer Ninci, and Assistant Professor Kelsey Oliver. Each scholar will receive more than $6,000 per semester during the 2026–2027 academic year to support project activities.
Matsumoto, an associate professor in the School of Teacher of Education (STE), was selected for her project, AI-Powered Contribution. The cohort-based project challenges teacher candidates to design solutions to educational issues and contribute to their school community in ways that meaningfully integrate AI concepts and are valuable to the P–20 system. Teacher candidates will use Design Thinking framework to address real-world problems by actively exploring and integrating AI into their educational practice as they develop into reflective teacher leaders who contribute to their school community.
“To be selected as one of the 2026 Everly Scholars is an incredible honor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow,” Matsumoto said. “I believe Dr. Everly would be pleased to know that this award is actually for an Everly Scholarly Team. Work like the AI Powered Contribution is the result of many hands and hearts. The spirit of Hubert V. Everly’s commitment to equity, service, and educational excellence is embodied by Drs. Stacy George, Waynele Yu, and Stephanie Furuta and each candidate who has engaged in and shared this work. I am deeply appreciative that Hubert Everly’s generosity and vision will propel this work forward.”
Department of Special Education (SPED) Associate Professor Ninci, was selected for Setting the Pace: Advancing Accessible and Community-Responsive Fieldwork Supervision in Applied Behavior Analysis, a project focused on strengthening the preparation of future behavior analysts through technology advancement and community partnership. A goal of the project is to refine an innovatively designed digital badge system that helps Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) fieldwork students track and visualize practice competencies developed through experiential learning. The project will also establish a community partner advisory board of local ABA leaders and offer professional development, creating a structured feedback loop that will promote quality program improvements.
“Having recently redesigned the MEd SPED, ABA concentration, this support is an opportunity to advance our program, spurring a lasting impact as we build local capacity for service consumers,” Ninci said. “Our students are directly connected to Hawaiʻi’s ABA service systems as they gain experiences in public schools and various private agencies across the islands. I’m grateful to my colleagues Adam Tanners and James Park for lending their expertise in technology, design, and accessibility to this project. I also thank the many COE faculty and staff who have collaborated with me in making ABA Fieldwork Supervision research possible, joyful, and all the more meaningful.”
SPED Assistant Professor Kelsey was selected for ECHO (Enhancing Community Healthcare Outcomes) Autism Hawaiʻi for Educators: Expanding Training for Underserved Communities Across the Islands. The project aims to reduce disparities for autistic learners by addressing the training needs and barriers that educators encounter when teaching autistic students. It will adapt the ECHO Autism Hawaiʻi model into a professional development program for educators. The goals are to increase educator knowledge and confidence in supporting autistic learners, disseminate evidence-based practices, build a professional learning community, and use community partnerships to refine the program.
“I am passionate about establishing communities of practice where educators can collaborate and build pilina, share knowledge and resources, and collectively problem-solve,” Kelsey said. “The Hubert V. Everly award allows me the opportunity to pilot a scalable training model in order to provide this type of comprehensive, long-term support to educators across the islands. Implementing ECHO Autism Hawaiʻi, which I co-founded with Drs. Maya Matheis and Marija Čolić, contributes to my goals of reducing disparities and providing more access to training for educators working in rural, remote, and underserved parts of Hawaiʻi.”
The Hubert V. Everly Endowed Scholar in Education Award honors the legacy and service of our longest serving Dean, Hubert V. Everly who made many contributions in developing the College of Education and improving education in Hawaiʻi. The focus of this scholar award is to promote individual careers and provide opportunity and resources for scholarly activities that address the problems and issues of importance to the public/private P–20 educational system.
