Bio

Daniel “Kaniela” Sharp has returned to Hawai’i after living in the ancestral lands of the Tonkawa Indian Tribe for the past 4 years and is now the Director of Finance for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. Kaniela returned to the place of
his birth in his home state of Texas after 36 years of living abroad to be with his Ohana during the health pandemic. While there he served as the Director of Finance for the Oweesta Corporation, a Native American intermediary lending Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A & M before being commissioned in the US Marine Corps. He served 15 years as the Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager for the Charismatic Episcopal Church earning a Master of Ministry Degree from St Michaels Seminary with a focus on nonprofit operational and financial management. He was welcomed into the Native Hawaiian community through the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs while living on O’ahu and was introduced to the Native CDFI community while serving as the CFO for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement before his departure in 2020.