Professor Maenette K.P. Ah Nee-Benham, a Kanaka Maoli scholar and teacher, is the inaugural Dean of Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa. Dr. Benham began her K-12 teaching career in 1978 and over her 15-year teaching career, she has taught grades K-12 in California, Texas, and Hawaiʻi (Kaiser High School and Kamehameha Schools). During this time she also served as a K-12 curriculum specialist (California), elementary school administrator (Texas), and a district-level administrator (Washington). She also taught at Kaiser High School and The Kamehameha Secondary School – Kapālama.