Aloha, I’m Sterling.

I work to build stronger communities and organizations across Hawai‘i, creating opportunities for families and generations to come.

Leadership & Service

I serve as Chair of the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority, stewarding $327 million in public assets and guiding planning for Kaka‘ako, Kalaeloa, He‘eia, and Pulehunui.

I founded Housing Hawai‘i’s Future, a statewide movement that helped pass the most significant housing reforms in four decades. Through my consulting practice, Polcom, I help nonprofit leaders and government agencies with strategic planning.

Faith & Formation

My next chapter focuses on Hawai‘i’s spiritual and cultural inheritance. Hawai‘i experienced one of the most dramatic awakenings in Christian history — a nation that practiced human sacrifice within living memory became a constitutional Christian monarchy with one of the highest literacy rates on earth. That heritage is now largely forgotten, and the consequences are visible.

The Hawai‘i Christian Heritage Project is a three-year effort to recover, explain, and pass on this inheritance — producing original books, modernized historic texts, and public teaching to equip pastors, educators, and lay leaders with resources they need. I'm soon to begin an M.Div., and this work is designed to serve Hawai'i's churches for generations.

I’m a husband and father of four. Faith in Jesus Christ guides my work and family. I believe that Christ saves, and saved people build institutions that endure.

Roots & Story

I grew up in Nu‘uanu near Foster Botanical Garden, raised by my mom. I attended Royal Elementary, Kawananakoa Middle, and Roosevelt High School. As a kid, I delivered the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and learned the importance of hard work.

After graduating from UH Mānoa, I earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard. I returned home to teach performing arts at SEEQS. Later, I lectured in the Communications Department and coached debate at Hawai‘i Pacific University, where I was honored with the Golden Apple Award for Distinguished Teaching.

I’ve also written about leadership and civic life for Honolulu Civil Beat and Hawaii Business Magazine, with work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists. I currently write a weekly column for Aloha State Daily.

Let’s Connect

If this story resonates, let’s talk story. The best is yet to come. 🤙🏻