Meet the Staff

	Diane Haynes Woodburn, Publisher Diane arrived in Hawai’i in 1974 with a backpack, a master’s degree, and a naïve sense of adventure. After surviving more than one death-defying escapade, she settled on Maui to teach at the community college—but soon found the entrepreneurial spirit irresistible. Her love affair with publishing began in 1983 with the launch of her first magazine, Art to Onions. Today she takes great joy in giving back to the Maui community, gardening at her home in Kula, and cooking for her family and friends.
	Alix Buchter, Associate Publisher While earning a degree in sociology/social psychology from UC–Santa Cruz, Alix founded an organization for young women dedicated to cultivating social responsibility. In 2007 she moved to Maui, where her love of the arts led her to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. As technical projects manager, she modernized the Hui’s technology. A world traveler, Alix has sung at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, and is the only MNKO staffer to have turned down an audience with former President Bill Clinton, to sing at the Cardinal High Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
	Rita Goldman, Editor In her 36 years as an award-winning writer and editor, Rita has authored magazine articles, book reviews, advertising copy . . . and occasionally gets paid for writing humorous verse under the alias Lovely Rita, Meter Maid. In 2004, the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association gave their Award of Excellence to her pictorial history book Every Grain of Rice: Portraits of Maui’s Japanese Community, written as a fundraising project for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. Rita lives in Ha‘iku with a very large cat named Smudge.
	John Giordani, Art Director & Senior Designer Growing up in an isolated town in New York’s Catskill Mountains, John considered rock music one of his few links with the outside world. On discovering that his talents lay less in playing instruments than in playing with design elements on album covers, he focused his training in graphic design. In New York City after college, John spent 7 years at SPIN magazine and then Condé Nast’s Details magazine. His creativity flourished and he created award-winning work. As technology grew more sophisticated, John redirected his career to the web at Funny Garbage, a multimedia design studio where he designed and art directed sites for The Simpsons, Cartoon Network, Mariah Carey, and The Whitney Museum among others.
	Conn Brattain, Style Editor A native of Indianapolis and a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Conn Brattain started his design career in New York’s fashion industry. He spent eighteen years designing clothing, accessories, textiles and home furnishings, and produced runway shows for designers Gemma Kahng and Todd Oldham. In March of 2007 Conn moved to Maui, where he currently works as a graphic designer and stylist. In 2010, he was honored by AIGA, the professional association for design, for his cover design of Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris, as one of the fifty best book covers of 2010. He joined the MNKO staff as style editor in 2011, compiling Great Finds, Holiday Gift Guides, and fashion features.
	Laura Lewark, Account Executive The year she turned twenty-five, Laura made a goal to travel and explore a different country every year. So far, her sojourns have included Russia, Italy, Spain, England, Ireland, France, Holland, Mexico and Canada. Happily, the California native finally landed on Maui, bringing with her a portfolio of eclectic experience, from working in New York’s financial district, to working at an Internet start-up in the early 2000s and as a sales development manager for Yahoo. A recovered math geek (she majored in math and applied science at UCLA — go Bruins!), Laura enjoys the outdoor life Maui offers, running, spinning, gardening and camping with her rescue dog, Lilikoi.
	Michael Haynes, Account Executive Born and raised on Maui, Michael Haynes is passionate about his island home. Surfing ocean swells, hiking remote jungles, and relaxing Upcountry are his favorite ways to enjoy Maui’s beauty. After attending college in California, Michael studied architecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, before returning to Maui—bringing with him his love for art and design, and a laid-back approach to sales. Michael and his beautiful fiancée, Katherine Larson, plan to wed in 2013. If you see two starry-eyed lovers on the beach at sunset, odds are you found them.
	Kao Kushner, Controller and Office Manager By the time she arrived on Maui at the ripe old age of 18, Kao Kushner had already lived on two U.S. coasts: she was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, and spent her teenage years in upstate New York. Kao worked in a variety of positions around Maui—including her own licensed daycare facility—while raising three youngsters of her own. She joined Maui No Ka ‘Oi as controller in 2011. Kao’s pooch, Wanda, joined as MNKO’s mascot in 2012.
	Jonathan Stacy, Distribution Manager and Web Coordinator After graduating from California State University Chico, Jonathan returned to his hometown of San Diego and began his career in publishing at a luxury/fashion magazine. His interest in marketing and events led him to a PR firm, where he worked on various openings, including the 10th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival. Arriving on Maui in 2010, he joined Maui No Ka ‘Oi, where he wears many hats: circulation, office manager, e-newsletter editor, and creative coordinator for events. Jonathan has not always stayed behind the scenes, however. Look close, and you may see him as an extra in the films Raising Helen and Seabiscuit, and the television show Alias.