Bio coming Poni Askew is a Native Hawaiian wahine entrepreneur and the Director of Economic and Business Resilience at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. With over 20 years of experience in small business and community development, she brings a deep perspective to her work, building economic pathways for the lāhui. Poni is the founder of Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Co., a company rooted in sustainability and the upcycling of local agriculture, and formerly led Street Grindz, where she launched iconic events like Eat the Street and Honolulu Night Market—helping to elevate Hawaiʻi’s street food movement. She also co-founded the Cultivate Hawaiʻi Workforce Collaborative, creating programs that help keiki in communities like Wahiawā live, work, learn, and thrive where they’re from. Her work is grounded in cultural values, systems thinking, and a strong belief in the power of local enterprise to drive generational change..