2025 GSS Diploma Ceremony Speaker

a headshot of Halaevalu Fonongava'inga Ofahengaue Vakalahi, PhD, MSW, MEd

 

Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.Ed., is a Pacific Islander born in Tonga and raised in Hawai’i. She is currently the President and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which accredits all social work programs across the United States.

Prior to joining CSWE, she served as Professor and Dean of the College of Health and Society at Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU). Throughout her career, she has held academic and leadership positions at several institutions, including:

  • Morgan State University
  • George Mason University
  • San Francisco State University
  • New Mexico State University

Dr. Vakalahi is a distinguished scholar, educator, and community advocate. She has contributed extensively to Pacific Islander knowledge, literature, and culture, and to elevating our understanding of the role and experience of Women in academia. Her recent work, Mentoring Women for Leadership: Empowering the Next Generation, communicates her passion and belief in the importance of mentorship. She served as Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded Student Research Center that provided tiered mentorship to support entrepreneurial undergraduate research in the biomedical and health sciences. In collaboration with colleagues from Morgan State University, Lehman College, and New York Community Trust, she co-founded and served as co-editor for the peer-reviewed journal Urban Social Work.

Dr. Vakalahi is deeply committed to advancing all forms of justice, innovation in social work education and investing in faculty, students, and professionals for a more equitable and positive future.