Wendy Erskine
Interim Executive Director

Wendy Erskine was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and has spent her career helping students find success in school and beyond. A proud graduate of Punahou School, where she spent 13 formative years just across the valley from SEEQS, Wendy went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in History and International Studies from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University.

Wendy started her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in Chicago Public Schools, where she taught middle school at Theodore Herzl Elementary. From the very beginning, she focused on making learning engaging, student-centered, and rooted in high expectations. She later returned home to Hawaiʻi to teach math at the University of Hawaiʻi Laboratory School, where she also co-developed curriculum and presented her work nationally.

Her early classroom experience sparked a deep commitment to supporting teachers and building strong school communities. In 2006, she helped launch Teach For America Hawaiʻi and served as a Program Director, supporting new educators across the islands. She later became Managing Director of Program in Chicago, leading teacher coaching, program strategy, and impact efforts across one of TFA’s largest regions.

Wendy’s leadership journey has taken her across public, charter, and private schools in both Hawaiʻi and Chicago. She served as Principal (Poʻo Kumu) at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama High School, where she led a multi-year redesign of counseling, graduation requirements, and leadership systems—resulting in a 19% increase in college enrollment in just two years. Before that, she was Principal at Chicago Bulls College Prep, where her team achieved 100% four-year college acceptance for graduating seniors and helped the school consistently rank among the top open-enrollment high schools in Chicago.

Throughout her career, Wendy has remained focused on post-secondary readiness, equity, and student voice. She currently mentors school leaders and facilitates Deloitte’s Courageous Principals leadership program, and remains passionate about helping young people thrive in ways that honor their strengths, communities, and aspirations.

Outside of work, Wendy is a proud mom to her seven-year-old daughter Leiana. Her husband Todd runs a financial planning firm and serves on the board of another charter school in Hawaiʻi, so education and community are a big part of their family life. Together, they feel fortunate to call Hawaiʻi home and to raise their daughter in a place rooted in learning and connection.

Wendy often reflects on the ʻōlelo noʻeau: “Ma ka hana ka ‘ike”—in working, one learns. She believes education should be hands-on, relevant, and empowering, and that every student deserves the chance to define success for themselves—and the support to achieve it.