Board of Directors

Dana Higa-Rolls Emerick brings a wealth of experience in retail management, insurance, and community service to the Akamai Seniors board. With 19 years at Sears in retail management, including roles as an Operations Manager, Dana developed strong skills in team leadership, operational efficiency, and customer relations. Her extensive background in managing retail operations provided a solid foundation in strategic planning, budget management, and staff development.

In recent years, Dana has shifted her focus to the insurance sector, where she has worked as the Manager of Marketing and Administration at Financial Benefits Insurance for the past four years. In this role, she oversees marketing initiatives and administrative functions, enhancing the company’s reach and supporting its mission to provide comprehensive insurance solutions to clients.

Dana is also a dedicated volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America as a Membership Committee member for Troop 201. Her commitment to community engagement and youth development is exemplified through her work in recruiting and guiding young Scouts. Both of Dana’s children, Frankie and Kimiko, achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, underscoring her family’s dedication to scouting values.

Dana’s multifaceted experience in management, marketing, and community involvement makes her a valuable asset to the Akamai Seniors board. Her senior-friendly approach, hands-on management style, and commitment to service align perfectly with Akamai Seniors’ mission to help seniors find peace of mind in the communities they serve. She believes that seniors deserve to live healthy, productive lives and encourages everyone to get more out of life—while spreading the Aloha spirit in every community we serve.

Anjeannette Wahinekapu brings seasoned expertise to the Akamai Seniors board, with over 30 years of experience in customer service, sales, and team management. Her career includes, 18 years in the airline industry, commercial and corporate elite flights. She’s done it all-from customer service leadership, weight and balance specialist to becoming a certified compliance officer. In these roles, Anjeannette honed her skills in precision, safety, and efficiency, all while building a reputation for her exceptional attention to detail and unwavering commitment to quality service.Beyond her professional experience, Anjeannette has a deep personal connection to caregiving. She was a caregiver for her mother and grandmother, two of the most important women in her life, which shaped her commitment to supporting seniors with compassion and humility.

Today, as a national trainer for Financial Benefit Insurance, she shares her knowledge across the country, empowering teams to deliver excellence in senior care and benefits. Anjeannette pairs her expertise with her genuine empathy for seniors, helping them understand their options and make confident choices. Anjeannette’s values align closely with Akamai Seniors’ mission to provide trusted, compassionate guidance to the community, supporting seniors in accessing the resources they need to thrive with integrity and care; her compassionate and humble approach on the board is a true asset, as she brings both heart and know-how to empowering seniors every step of the way.

Travis Motosue, is the President of Financial Benefits Insurance, Inc. and was raised in Kailua, Oahu. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from Iolani High School in 1999. While attending Iolani and UH, Travis lived in Kaimuki with his grandparents, forging a close bond and relationship. As the “circle of life” happens with all of us, Travis was being taken care of when he was younger and then found himself taking care of his grandparents as they got older. He attended Oregon State University, then graduated from the University of Hawaii with a B.S. major in Biology in 2003. Travis found his passion in helping seniors with their insurance needs in 2004, and has 20 years of experience in the insurance business. Travis is a husband and father of two young boys.

I am one of you, a Medicare Beneficiary. At age 73 years old I walk in your shoes. I can relate to you. My father is 96 years old and my mother died three years ago at the age of 93. She was getting forgetful in her 70’s and had signs of dementia in her 80’s. She fell broke her hip and spent 3 weeks in a skilled nursing facility. Two years later she was gone. One of my regrets is taking away my father’s drivers license when he was 86 years old. He was still working as taxi driver and worked the Airport-Waikiki route. In hindsight we took away his independence. At age 86 he was still golfing twice a week with his fellow taxi drivers. He was the old man on his golf club teams. Now at age 96 he has outlived all his childhood and close friends. Last year after years of denial I finally got hearing aids. My wife is so happy. As we get older we know the importance of good health and spending time with family.

After working 35 years at Sears in retail management, I retired in 2006. I passed the Hawaii State Licensing Exam and worked with my son, Travis, learning Medicare health insurance. Travis and I started Financial Benefits Insurance in 2010 with 3 agents. This year Financial Benefits Insurance is celebrating 11 years of growth, expansion, and innovation. We currently have 74 agents and 3 offices (Honolulu, Hilo, and Waipahu). Most of my time is spent training our agents on Medicare health plans and options. Travis and I do over 140 Medicare formal presentations very year. Yes, we know Medicare and love educating our Kupuna.

I am very active in my church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was a High Councilor, Bishop, and currently the Kaneohe Stake Clerk. I believe that families are eternal, Gods plan of happiness, and that God answers prayers.

After 50 years of marriage I finally run the house. I run the dishwasher, run the vacuum cleaner, and run the washer & dryer. We have 3 children, 10 grandkids, and 14 great grandkids. We spend more time with our grandkids than with our own children. Being empty nesters, Darlee and I love to travel and go on cruises. So far we went on 5 cruises and numerous vacation trips to the mainland. We not only enjoy visiting Europe, Scandinavia, Baltic countries, China and Japan but also learning different cultures and eating their food. We enjoy growing old with each other.

Percy is a 36+ year veteran of the mortgage business and has been involved in educating the public of “Aging in Place” and the option of a reverse mortgage for the last 22+ years to the senior population and legal and financial professionals. He is Hawaii’s Reverse Mortgage Specialist with One Trust Home Loans.

Percy Ihara also is the former publisher/editor of the awarding winning Generations Magazine, Hawaii’s only a print media resource magazine catering to Hawaii’s seniors and highlighting programs and services, serving our community. Generations Magazine is a multiple media platform of a print magazine, radio show podcasts, webinars, and resource website where all this can be found. He is involved with the Financial Planners Association of Hawaii, Hawaii National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society and a member of Kupuna Caucus and AARP.

Percy is committed to the senior community where is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), the only double accredited designation in the financial services and senior industry. He has also obtained the designation – Certification for Long term Care (CLTC) that gives him extensive knowledge in the long-term care industry and planning.

Lastly, Mr. Ihara is the creator of Generations Magazine’s Annual “Aging in Place” workshop. The workshop is most popular with the baby boomers and their parents and provides trusted resourceful information on the navigation and the challenges of aging in place.

Darek Sato has been working in the health and life care industry for the past 29 years starting with Queen’s Health Management as Operations Manager developing Independent Physician Associations (IPA), Health Unified, Inc. a Management Services Organization (MSO) as Operations Manager managing IPAs, New York Life Insurance Company as a Financial Services Professional, Health Management Association (HMA Inc) as an Account Manager for Union Trust Fund Members and MDX Hawaii as Provider Network Operations Manager.

While with Health Unified, Darek assisted the Queen’s Physician Group (an IPA) with the operations of their Foundation to promote living healthily. The QPG Foundation’s “Music is Good Medicine” program visited Elementary through High Schools, Senior Centers and public venues to inspire the community to stay mindful of taking care of their health.

Prior to joining the health and life industry, Darek worked in Waikiki’s hotel industry for 16 years in positions including Assistant Manager at the Aston Waikiki Sunset Hotel, General Manager of the Waikikian on the Beach and General Manager of the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel.

Darek resides in Honolulu with his wife Charlene and has three adult children and six grand children. He enjoys surfing at the pre-dawn hours most days of the week at the Ala Moana Beach Park.

Melanie Afualo, is a dedicated board member with a deep commitment to community service and family. Married for 25 years to her husband, Danny, she is the proud mother of five children. With extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, she has worked with BLOC (Better Level of Care) to support caregivers for senior citizens and served as a fundraising coordinator for the Hawai’i Children’s Action Network.

Melanie spent a decade with the Department of Education as a Family Alumni Community Engagement Coordinator and currently serves as a Teacher Licensing Coordinator at Brigham Young University Hawai’i. In addition to her professional endeavors, she owns Aloha Grave Care, a business focused on funeral floristry and gravesite care.

In her spare time Melanie enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and pursuing her passion for family genealogy.