Aleena Kawe

Biography

Aleena M. Kawe is the founder, president and CEO of Red Star International, Inc., a U.S. based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing Indigenous self-determination for healthy and vibrant communities. Aleena believes a systems approach to solving challenges – one that considers worldview, relationships, leadership and the collective will – is the key to achieving health equity. Aleena is a leader and advocate in Indigenous health, with more than 20 years of experience working in partnership with communities to achieve their aspirations. Most recently, Aleena received national recognition for her leadership in developing the first national public health institute in the US to focus solely on Indigenous wellbeing. Prior to Red Star, Aleena served as the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Education Director, and as the American Indian Research Center for Health Administrator at the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Aleena is an enrolled member of the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians with cultural ties to Pascua Yaqui Tribe - Old Pascua Pueblo in Tucson, Arizona. She has a master’s degree in public health from The University of Arizona, where she is an adjunct faculty at the Global Health Institute. Aleena lives in New Zealand with her husband, Frank Te Mihinui Kawe (Ngāti Ranginui/Ngāti Kahungunu), who is active in the traditional voyaging practices of the Māori of Aotearoa and across the Pacific.