# ʻAulani Wilhelm

ʻAulani Wilhelm is a Native Hawaiian ocean conservationist. She took the lead in designing and establishing the first-ever US marine national monument, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Hawaiian Islands, then served as its first superintendent. She integrates culture, community, and science in her work for ocean policy and ocean conservation.

## Early life

Wilhelm is Kanaka ʻŌiwi. She was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands.

## Career

Wilhelm earned an MS from Stanford University in 2014. At Stanford she was appointed the 2014 Social Innovation Fellow.
She has been the director of ocean initiatives for NOAA's Office of Marine Sanctuaries.
She took the lead in establishing and designing the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and World Heritage Site. As the first superintendent, she implemented a management policy that integrated Native Hawaiian cultural knowledge, traditions, and practices with Western science.
She worked as Senior Vice President for Oceans at Conservation International. While there she co-led the Blue Nature Alliance, a worldwide coalition of ocean conservation organizations.
Wilhelm served as assistant director for Ocean Conservation, Climate and Equity at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). During her tenure the OSTP published the historic "Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge." The Guidance recognizes Indigenous Knowledge, or Traditional Ecological Knowledge, as "a valid form of evidence" and recognizes that many different ways of knowing strengthen decision making. Therefore, it calls on federal agencies to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge, as appropriate, in setting their policies.
In 2023 Wilhelm co-chaired the Ocean Justice Strategy Workgroup of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The group authored the "Ocean Justice Strategy," which builds ocean justice on environmental justice. It calls for equitable access to the benefits of oceans, engaging with Indigenous peoples in making decisions about oceans, and improving ocean education.
In 2023 Wilhelm joined Nia Tero, a nonprofit working with Indigenous groups to strengthen guardianship of the Earth. She is their Chief Strategy and External Relations Officer.
Wilhelm is a Mellon Distinguished Scholar at Arizona State University's Center for Imagination at the Borderlands.

## Philosophical views

Wilhelm is committed to ocean conservation that honors Indigenous stewardship of lands and waters and that preserves and incorporates Native cultural heritages. The design of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument integrates Native Hawaiian cultural history and ceremony into its design. This is distinct from the usual philosophy of national parks, in which humans are seen as separate from nature and parks are created in order to limit human activities within them.

## Publications (selected)

* Bennett, N. J., Wilhelm, ʻAulani, et al. (2021). Advancing Social Equity in and through Marine Conservation. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.711538
* Kikiloi, K., Friedlander, A. M., Wilhelm, ʻAulani, Lewis, N., Quiocho, K., ʻĀila, W., & Kahoʻohalahala, S. (2017). Papahānaumokuākea: Integrating Culture in the Design and Management of one of the World's Largest Marine Protected Areas. Coastal Management, 45(6), 436–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2017.1373450
* Wilhelm, T. ʻAulani, Charles R. C. Sheppard, Anne L. S. Sheppard, Carlos F. Gaymer, John Parks, Daniel Wagner, Naiʻa Lewis (2014). Large Marine Protected Areas – Advantages and Challenges of Going Big. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 24(S2), 24–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2499