Kimberly (Skog) Thayer

Kim leads community engagement initiatives and supports SR Partners’ extensive grant readiness programs. Kim grew up in rural Ulumalu, spending her childhood playing on the remnants of her grandpa’s pineapple farm. After graduating from Seabury Hall in 2002, Kim attended James Cook University in Australia, earning an Honors degree in Anthropology. She then returned home to serve as the Public Information Officer for the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui, organizing the first annual Maui Water Resources Forum. In 2007, Kim began her career with Munekiyo Hiraga, a consulting firm specializing in urban planning, land-use, and government relations, where she spent five years assisting clients navigating development processes and fostered relationships with major landowners, nonprofits, and government officials. Kim went on to join the Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership in 2012, managing financial operations and developing outreach programs to grow awareness of the need to protect native ecosystems, cultural treasures, and forested watersheds that provide the vast majority of Maui’s drinking water. Kim came aboard SR Partners in 2023, bringing decades of project management and community engagement expertise to the partnership. Among her most notable projects since: Reaching more than 500 people across the Hawaiian islands to shape and create the Hawaii Digital Equity Plan, and securing millions of dollars for Hawaii nonprofits, including a $20-million grant from the U.S. Forest Service to fund Kupu to grow tree cover in vulnerable communities. Outside of work, Kim is a dedicated steward of community organizations. She currently chairs the Maui Planning Commission and previously led the Maui County Arborist Committee. Since 2010, Kim has volunteered as a docent for The Nature Conservancy, guiding hikes into Waikamoi Preserve. She also serves as a founding board member and secretary of Ke Kula O Piilani, an independent Hawaiian school founded in 2016. She is a Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow who now serves on the Alumni Council, and was honored by Pacific Business News’ 40 Under 40 in 2022. Kim lives in Paukukalo with her husband and two children. Together, they are all proud students of Halau Na Hanona Kulike O Piilani. As a mother and a Maui girl, her motivating force is ensuring that Maui’s aina and community are strong and healthy for generations to come.