Kauaʻi Community College’s Mark Ombrello, assistant professor of history, and Brian Yamamoto, professor of natural sciences, are among the 25 members of the University of Hawaiʻi faculty to receive top awards this year for their excellence in teaching, engagement and groundbreaking research.
Ombrello received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes faculty who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity, and personal values beneficial to students.
“Recognizing the evolving challenges of teaching and evaluating students in the age of AI, Ombrello has reexamined the importance of soft skills in education,” according to his bio.
Ombrello emphasizes that “maintaining mindfulness of our behavior — acting with kindness, respect, and patience — makes all the difference in building and sustaining healthy relationships that foster rewarding and sustainable learning environments.”
Despite being an instructor who does not teach in real-time, his student evaluations are consistently excellent across all categories, according to the University of Hawaiʻi press releae.
Deeply engaged with both the college and the broader island community, Ombrello has made numerous valuable contributions to Kauaʻi CC and the University of Hawaiʻi system. He previously served as faculty senate vice chair and currently holds the position of chair. In addition, he continues to lead the district History Day fair and has served as a board member for the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities since 2021.
“Instructor Ombrello does more than just share facts; he teaches us how to think freely, how to question, and how to learn from the past to understand our present,” said a student whose full name was not provided in the press release.
Yamamoto received the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which recognizes dedication and demonstrated excellence as teachers of undergraduate students. It was established as a memorial to the late Frances Davis, who taught mathematics at Leeward Community College and UH Mānoa for 19 years.
For more than 40 years, Yamamoto has embodied the spirit of Davis, an inspired teacher dedicated to sharing knowledge with undergraduates in natural sciences. Throughout his decades of service at Kauaʻi CC, Yamamoto’s passion has never waned — whether in the lab, the field, meeting with a student or teaching at high schools.
His commitment to undergraduate excellence is evidenced by the robust success of the Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Botany. Through Yamamoto’s leadership, 46 early college students have successfully earned their ASC in Hawaiian Botany since 2022. He has a unique ability to connect botany to students’ lived experiences, such as helping Native Hawaiian students apply botanical knowledge directly to their own lōʻi (taro patch).
“One must be willing to get dirty, feel the wind at your back, and explore with your senses wide open,” Yamamoto said. “Let nature be the teacher. Nature will always present the truth, we just need to interpret it correctly.”
Fifteen UH faculty members from across the state have been awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, three received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research, six were selected for the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and one won the Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education.
“These world-class educators and researchers are not simply being recognized; they are the driving force behind real, tangible improvements that are shaping the future of our students and the prosperity of our state,” University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel said in a press release. “It is an honor to be part of a university community where such groundbreaking work has both local impact and global reach.”
Each campus selects its awardees for the Board of Regent’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching:
- Mark Ombrello, assistant professor of history, Kauaʻi Community College
- Cara Chang, associate professor of English, Leeward Community College
- Leslie Crow-Kincaid, assistant professor of general business and hospitality in the business and cybersecurity division, UH West Oʻahu
- Teri Evangelista, associate professor of mathematics, UH Maui College.
- Charlene S. Gima, assistant professor of English, Honolulu Community College
- Kekoa Harman, associate professor, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, UH Hilo
- Pele Kaio, assistant professor of Hawaiian lifestyles, Hawaiʻi Community College
- Cheehyung Harrison Kim, associate professor of history, College of Arts, Languages and Letters, UH Mānoa
- Ryan Koo, professor of history, Windward Community College
- Miyoko T. Pettit-Toledo, assistant professor, William S. Richardson School of Law, UH Mānoa
- Subhashni Raj, assistant professor in urban and regional planning, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
- Eirik Saethre, professor of anthropology, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
- Amy Shiroma, assistant professor, Hospitality and Tourism Education Department, Kapiʻolani Community College
- Tamara Ticktin, professor of botany, School of Life Sciences, UH Mānoa
- Kara Wong Ramsey, associate professor, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Mānoa
Read the bios of each recipient
The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research was awarded to:
- Nicolas Gaillard, associate researcher, Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
- Joseph Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, professor and chair of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Mānoa
- Victor M. Lubecke, professor of electrical and computer engineering, College of Engineering, UH Mānoa
Read the bios of each recipient
The Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching was award to:
- Brian Yamamoto, professor of natural sciences, Kauaiʻi Community College
- Elisabeth “Lis” Gallant, assistant professor of geology, UH Hilo
- Ariel Gruenthal Rankin, assistant professor of anthropology, division of social sciences, UH West Oʻahu
- Lolita Pérez-Ayala, PhD candidate in the communication and information sciences interdisciplinary program, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
- Shawn Sumiki, culinary arts coordinator, Hawaiʻi Community College
- Lisa Vallin, instructor, Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
Read the bios of each recipient
The Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education rewards outstanding achievement and significant contribution to vocational and technical education by a community college faculty member or student. The award was established by family members to honor the namesakes’ role in development of the food industry in Hawai‘i. This year’s winner is:
- Mary Farmer, nursing instructor, UH Maui College
