LIHUE — There isn’t much that Felicia Cowden hasn’t done. She co-owned Hanalei Surf Company for nearly two decades; worked as a software engineer for Intel Corporation in Arizona and England in her early adult life; facilitated public discussions on
LIHUE — There isn’t much that Felicia Cowden hasn’t done.
She co-owned Hanalei Surf Company for nearly two decades; worked as a software engineer for Intel Corporation in Arizona and England in her early adult life; facilitated public discussions on Kauai Community Radio; and built Akamai Learning, an alternative middle school, home-school group, on her own.
“Having a background that includes corporate employment, small business ownership, empowerment of youth, subsistence food production and facilitating a community sounding board on the radio builds my understanding of the needs of different groups of people,” the 51-year-old Kilauea resident wrote in an email. “This range of my experiences helps me to bridge perspectives between those with a core connection to the wisdom and practices of our host culture, those who support the modern economy through their small businesses, and those with loyalty to international employers who offer career stability.”
Though she has helped friends make their own bids for public office and has worked on policy issues for the past 25 years, Cowden said she never anticipated making the leap into politics.
What Cowden said changed her mind was her job at KKCR, which allowed her to deepen her research on issues and strengthen her ties with residents — some of whom eventually encouraged her to run.
“The leadership challenge for Kauai’s future lies in increasing self-reliance in a turbulent global economy with shifting power-structures and environmental conditions,” Cowden said. “Vibrant health can be developed by reclaiming many of the strengths of our past. I look forward to helping respectful dialogue between the many voices of Kauai.”
The mother of two is the current school director and lead administrator of The Learning Center at Waipa and public affairs programmer at Kauai Community Radio.
Cowden also is a member of the Kauai Educators Leadership Alliance, Kauai Farmer’s Union, and Regenerations Botanical Garden in Kalihiwai.
All seven County Council seats are up for re-election this year.
The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers is June 3.
