Board Member
'Inoke Hafoka is husband to Tali Alisa Hafoka and they are parents to their four energetic children. They have raised their family on Tongva land (Los Angeles, California) and are currently back on Goshute, Shoshone, and Ute lands where 'Inoke was born and raised, Glendale (Salt Lake City), Utah. 'Inoke is of Tongan descent from Faleloa and 'Uiha in Ha'apai, and Ha'akio and Taoa in Vava'u.
‘Inoke is a doctoral candidate in Social Science and Comparative Education (SSCE) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research and work is grounded within the Pacific Islander diaspora, with a special interest of the Tongan experience.
Other research interests 'Inoke has are education, Indigeneity, race/ethnicity, travel and sports. 'Inoke is currently an Associate Instructor at the University of Utah and has taught there for the past few years within the Ethnic Studies and History departments.
He has also been employed as an airline worker for Delta Air Lines in Salt Lake City for over 10 years. He has held positions as a Ticket/Gate Agent and a Ramp Agent. This profession has kept him close to the Pacific Islander community (high numbers of Pacific Islanders within the airline industry), and helped shape his dissertation research: "From Navigating the Seas to Navigating the Skies".
’Inoke earned a Master of Education in Education, Culture & Society (ECS) from The University of Utah (U of U) and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Brigham Young University, Provo (BYU) where he participated in football then transitioned to rugby.
'Inoke received the Gates Millennium Scholarship and is now an Alumni of the program. He is also a fellow in the following institutes/programs: National Pacific American Leadership Institute (NAPALI), Summer Institute of Global Indigeneities (SIGI), and Pacific Islander Leaders of Tomorrow (PILOT).
'Inoke completed a church service mission where he learned Portuguese and lived in Brazil for two years.