Board of Directors
Kazuma Nakagawa, Board Chair
Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa, MD, MBA, FAAN, FAHA is a Harvard-trained neurologist, neurointensivist, and physician-leader whose career has been shaped by a multigenerational commitment to serving underserved communities. He leads the Neuroscience Institute at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu and serves as Division Chief of Neurology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine. A Fellow of both the American Academy of Neurology and the American Heart Association, Dr. Nakagawa specializes in stroke and neurocritical care, and has advanced clinical and research programs with reach extending well beyond Hawaiʻi. As Co-Founder of B+HARI and Board Chair of the B+HARI Non-Profit, he integrates neuroscience with lifestyle interventions to promote brain health and recovery, with an emphasis on non-pharmacological approaches, including art, design, and music, to enhance neuroplasticity and rehabilitate brain function after injury. His founding vision is rooted in a lifelong mission to not only serve rural and underserved communities, but to become, as he describes it, a "developer of the field" … building innovative, comprehensive academic and clinical programs tailored to the populations who need them most. As Chairman of the non-profit arm of B+HARI, Dr. Nakagawa provides scientific and clinical oversight across all initiatives, ensuring neurological rigor and translational integrity at every level of the organization's work.
Kay Mukaigawa, Board Member
Kay Mukaigawa is a Honolulu-based real estate leader and civic figure with more than 35 years of experience in Hawaiʻi real estate. She serves as President and Principal Broker of Engel & Völkers Honolulu, with branch offices in Downtown Honolulu, Stadium Mall, and Kāhala's Kuono Market Place, and her parent company, Primary Properties, maintains an additional office in Tokyo, Japan. Ranked consistently among the Top 100 Realtors in Hawaiʻi and recognized in the top 1% of all Realtors in America, she has earned the Aloha ʻĀina "People's Choice" award and was named Hawaiʻi's Best Realtor in 2021 and 2022 by Honolulu Advertiser readers. Kay served two terms on the Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority (HCDA) and has acted as a real estate advisor to the State of Hawaiʻi, with her company managing sales for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). The Girl Scouts Council honored her as a Woman of Distinction on their 100th Anniversary. As a Board Advisor to B+HARI, Mukaigawa brings deep community ties, state-level policy experience, and a demonstrated commitment to Hawaiʻi's people and places to the organization's mission of advancing brain health and quality of life for the state's veteran population.
Melvin Kaneshige, Board Member
Melvin (Mel) Kaneshige is a Hawaiʻi-based attorney, urban planner, and senior real estate executive whose career spans law, community development, and hospitality. A graduate of Harvard University (B.A., Government) and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned both a J.D. and a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning, Kaneshige brings a rare interdisciplinary foundation that bridges legal rigor, policy, and the built environment. He has served as Executive Vice President of Real Estate and Development at Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, one of Hawaiʻi's most storied hospitality companies, where he led complex real estate and development strategy across the Pacific. Mel also continues his father’s legacy with the legendary 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II through his leadership and dedication to honoring veterans and preserving their history for future generations. He currently serves as chair of the 442nd veterans organization. As a highly respected member of the community and Board Member to B+HARI, Kaneshige contributes decades of institutional knowledge, community relationships, and executive leadership to support the organization's mission of advancing brain health programming for Hawaiʻi's veteran population.