IICE2026 Overview

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Join us in Honolulu for IICE2026!

January 03–07, 2026 | The Hawai'i Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Aloha and welcome to the beautiful island of Oahu, home to The IAFOR International Conference on Education in Hawaii (IICE), and The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities in Hawaii (IICAH).

Held in partnership with the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, this international conference encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum stimulating respectful dialogue, by bringing together university scholars working throughout Hawai'i, the United States, Asia, and beyond to share ideas and research at the intersection of education, and the arts and humanities. This event will afford an exceptional opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, networking, and facilitating partnerships across national and disciplinary borders.

Since its founding in 2009, IAFOR has brought people and ideas together in a variety of events and platforms to promote and celebrate interdisciplinary study, and underline its importance. Over the past year we have engaged in many cross-sectoral projects, including those with universities (the University of Barcelona, Hofstra University, UCL, University of Belgrade and Moscow State University), think tanks (the East-West Center), as well as collaborative projects with the United Nations in New York, and the Government of Japan through the Prime Minister’s office, and right here in Honolulu with the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa for this conference!

With the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University, we have engaged in a number of interdisciplinary initiatives we believe will have an important impact on domestic and international public policy conversations. It is through conferences like these that we expand our network and partners, and we have no doubt that IICE2026 and IICAH2026 will offer a remarkable opportunity for the sharing of research and best practice, for the meeting of people and ideas. We expect the resultant professional and personal collaborations to endure for many years, and we look forward to seeing you in Honolulu!

The 11th IAFOR International Conference on Education in Hawaii (IICE2026) will be held alongside The 6th IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities in Hawaii (IICAH2026), and many of the sessions will concentrate on areas at the intersection of education and the arts and humanities. In keeping with IAFOR’s commitment to interdisciplinary study, delegates at either conference are encouraged to attend sessions in other disciplines. Registration for either conference will allow delegates to attend sessions in the other.

– The IICE2026 Programme Committee

Key Information

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

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Plenary Speakers

To be Announced

  • Jun Arima
    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Grant Black
    Grant Black
    Chuo University, Japan
  • Mary Hattori
    Mary Hattori
    East-West Center, United States
  • Halena Kapuni-Reynolds
    Halena Kapuni-Reynolds
    National Museum of the American Indian & Hawai'i Council for the Humanities, United States
  • Michael Menchaca
    Michael Menchaca
    University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, United States
  • Unaisi Nabobo-Baba
    Unaisi Nabobo-Baba
    Fiji National University, Fiji
  • Melina Neophytou
    Melina Neophytou
    IAFOR, Japan
  • LJ Rayphand
    LJ Rayphand
    University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States

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Programme

To be Announced

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Conference Committees

International Advisory Board

Dr Joseph Haldane, Chairman and CEO, IAFOR
His Excellency Professor Toshiya Hoshino, Osaka University, Japan
Professor Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech., United States
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Dr James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Professor Haruko Satoh, Osaka University, Japan
Dr Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Professor Dexter Da Silva, Keisen University, Japan
Professor Gary Swanson, University of Northern Colorado, United States
Professor Baden Offord, Curtin University, Australia
Professor Frank Ravitch, Michigan State University, United States
Professor William Baber, Kyoto University, Japan

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Conference Programme Committee

Dr Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Professor Xu Di, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Dr Joseph Haldane, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
Professor Curtis Ho, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, United States
Dr Daniel Hoffman, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, United States
Professor Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech, United States
Professor James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Dr Alex Means, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Professor Michael Menchaca, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Professor Deane Neubauer, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Professor Sela V. Panapasa, University of Michigan, United States
Tialei Scanlan, Brigham Young University – Hawaii, United States
Robin Watson, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
Dr Hiagi M. Wesley, Brigham Young University – Hawaii, United States

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Conference Review Committee

Dr Marianne Andrada, University of Baguio, Philippines
Professor Mohamed Askar, Southern Utah University, United States
Dr Ramona Baima, Aurora University, United States
Dr Gladie Natherine Cabanizas, Tarlac State University, Philippines
Professor Petra Cajnko, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Dr Yung-huei Chen, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
Dr Joanie Crandall, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
Dr Germaine Ferreira, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States
Dr Rayna Fujii, University of Hawai'i Manoa, United States
Professor Heeseon Jang, Pyeongtaek University, South Korea
Dr Mi-young Kim, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr Jisook Kim, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, United States
Dr Erick Kong, California State University East Bay, United States
Dr Laura McNeill, University of Alabama, United States
Dr Laura Mendoza, University of Texas at El Paso, United States
Dr Wafaa Metwalli, Misr International University, Egypt
Dr Matthew Motyka, University of San Francisco, United States
Dr Shankar Naskar, University of Virginia's College at Wise, United States
Dr Jaclyn Rivard, National Louis University, United States
Dr Robbie Lee Sabnani, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Dr Aman Deep Singh, Nirma University, India
Dr Wilfried Swoboda, University College of Teacher Education Vienna, Austria
Dr Yvonne Ualesi, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Dr Orsolya Varkonyi, Molloy University and Columbia University, United States
Dr Alice Wabule, Cavendish University Uganda, Uganda
Dr Gwendolyn Williams, Auburn University, United States
Dr Yifeng Yuan, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Dr Jacqueline Zammit, University of Malta, Malta
Professor Alexander Zureck, FOM University of Applied Sciences, Germany

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Previous Conferences

View details of past IICE conferences via the links below.

IICEHawaii2025 IICEHawaii2024
IICEHawaii2023 IICEHawaii2022 IICEHawaii2021
IICEHawaii2020 IICEHawaii2019 IICEHawaii2018

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Jun Arima
University of Tokyo, Japan

Biography

Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

Panel Presentation (2026) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2025) | Global Warming and International Institutions: Addressing Challenges Through Education and Action
Grant Black
Chuo University, Japan

Biography

Professor Grant Black is a professor in the Faculty of Commerce at Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan, where he has taught Global Skills and Global Issues since 2013. Grant is engaged in diverse roles as a global manager, systems builder, executive leader and university professor. His research and teaching areas include global management skills, intercultural intelligence (CQ) and organisational management. He also has taught Japanese Management Theory at J. F. Oberlin University (Japan), and a continuing education course in the Foundations of Japanese Zen Buddhism at Temple University Japan. Previously, he was Chair of the English Section at the Center for Education of Global Communication at the University of Tsukuba where he served in a six-year post in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He holds a BA Highest Honors in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an MA in Japanese Buddhist Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci) from the Department of Management in the School of Business at the University of Leicester. Dr Black is a Chartered Manager (CMgr), the highest status that can be achieved in the management profession in the UK. In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Grant is President of Black Inc. Consulting (Japan), a Tokyo-based firm specialising in international and intercultural project management, communication projects, and executive leadership and training. He is the director of the Nippon Academic Management Institute (NAMI) and the author of Education Reform Policy at a Japanese Super Global University: Policy Translation, Migration and Mutation (Routledge, 2022). He serves as a Vice-President for the International Academic Forum (IAFOR).

Previous Presentations

Orientation Session (2025) | IAFOR Information Session
Mary Hattori
East-West Center, United States

Biography

Dr Mary Therese Perez Hattori is a daughter of Guåhan (Guam), of the clan Familian Titang, born to Paul Mitsuo Hattori† of Kalihi, O’ahu, Hawaii and Fermina Leon Guerrero Perez† of the village of Chalan Pago, Guam. She currently serves as Director of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) with the East-West Center and previously enjoyed a long career in various technology and education-related positions. PIDP is a regional organisation, a founding member of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific and secretariat of the Pacific Islands Council of Leaders.

Dr Hattori is also affiliate graduate faculty in Pacific Studies, Learning Design and Technology, and several Educational Doctorate programs, a community organiser, advocate for Pacific Islanders in the United States, public speaker, author, and poet. She is co-founder and co-organizer of cultural events such as the Cultural Animation Film Festival and the Celebrate Micronesia Festival, both held annually in Honolulu. She serves the state of Hawaii as a member of the Board of Education and Associate Member of the Consular Corps of Honolulu.

Panel Presentation (2026) | Impacts of Funding Cuts in the Area of Education, Humanities and National Resource Centers

Previous Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2025) | Global Citizenship and Education for Peace: Threats & Opportunities from a Pacific Islands Perspective
Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Halena Kapuni-Reynolds
National Museum of the American Indian & Hawai'i Council for the Humanities, United States

Biography

Dr Halena Kapuni-Reynolds was born on the island of Hawai'i and raised in the Hawaiian Home Lands community of Keaukaha and the rainforest of ʻŌlaʻa. As the Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture at the National Museum of the American Indian, a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, he works on an array of projects centered around exhibitions, public programs, and public service. Dr Kapuni-Reynolds also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, where he has contributed to the establishment of the Pacific Islands Humanities Network (PIHN) and provided leadership for the organization during a time of crisis and change. In addition to these roles, Dr Kapuni-Reynolds has served as a board member for the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, the Hawaiʻi Museums Association, the Council for Museum Anthropology, and the Piʻilani Hawaiian Civic Club of Colorado.

Panel Presentation (2026) | Impacts of Funding Cuts in the Area of Education, Humanities and National Resource Centers

Michael Menchaca
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, United States

Biography

Michael Menchaca is Chair of the Department of Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He specialises in distance education, and has designed, implemented, and coordinated online and hybrid programs for over 20 years. He serves as editor for the IAFOR Journal of Education: Technology in Education Edition. He was an IT specialist for many years in the public and private sector. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of online learning, technology integration, and social justice with technology.

Previous Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2025) | Global Citizenship and the Environment: Engagement and Action
Featured Panel Presentation (2024) | Practical Approaches to AI in Academia
Panel Presentation (2022) | Reimagining General Education Across Hawaii’s 10-Campus System: Process, Product, and Lessons Learned
Panel Presentation (2021) | Post-pandemic Online Education: Moving from Crisis Intervention to Optimal Experience
Unaisi Nabobo-Baba
Fiji National University, Fiji

Biography

TBC

Keynote Presentation (2026) | TBA

Melina Neophytou
IAFOR, Japan

Biography

Dr Melina Neophytou is the Academic Operations Manager at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community. She is leading various projects within IAFOR, notably The Forum discussions and the authoring of Conference Reports and Intelligence Briefings, and she oversees the Global Fellows Programme.

Born in Germany and raised in Cyprus, Dr Neophytou received her PhD in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2023, specialising in political sociology, the welfare state, and contentious politics. She received an MA in International Development from Nagoya University, with a focus on Governance & Law, and a BA in European Studies from the University of Cyprus, Cyprus.

Her research interests currently focus on the Japanese welfare state, family values within Japanese society, and their relationship to family policies. She is particularly interested in state-society relations by uncovering how informal social ideas influence formal social policy.

Forum Discussion (2026) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Forum Discussion (2025) | Global Citizenship and the Environment: Engagement and Action
LJ Rayphand
University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States

Biography

LJ Rayphand is an educational leader and researcher from Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. He earned a PhD from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States, and has significantly contributed to education by preserving and promoting Chuukese culture through storytelling and technology.

Dr Rayphand is currently the Dean of Outreach Education at Caroline College and Pastoral Institute (CCPI) in Chuuk, an official partner of Chaminade University of Honolulu. Dr Rayphand also teaches at the Chaminade University of Honolulu, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoaa, and the College of Micronesia-FSM, Chuuk Campus. His work focuses on integrating indigenous knowledge with modern educational practices to enhance learning outcomes for Pacific Islander students.

Dr Rayphand also serves in various capacities in Micronesia and Hawaii. He is currently a Professor in Residence with Chaminade University of Honolulu and a Faculty in Residence with the NSF INCLUDES Alliance. He is also a member of the REL Pacific Governing Board, Chuuk State Board of Education, Chuuk Vicariate Parish Council, and the Diocese of the Caroline Islands Board of Catholic Education.

Panel Presentation (2026) | TBA