Miwa Tamanaha is Haˉlau 'Oˉhi'a emeritus of Kua'aˉina Ulu 'Auamo (KUA), and currently is in residence at Hawai'i Investment Ready, a Native Hawaiian–led social impact finance intermediary. Tamanaha is a cis Asian woman, descended from ancestors who emigrated as Okinawan settlers to Hawai'i in the late 1800s and early 1900s to work sugar plantations on the islands of Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Maui. Tamanaha has a BA and an MA in economics from the University of Southern California.