Copyright by Innovations Development Group, Inc.

IDG’s management team members represent a diversity of backgrounds, training and professional accomplishments. We share a commitment to excellence, sensitivity to the needs of indigenous peoples and a readiness to lend our expertise to the economic advancement of the communities we serve.

The IDG team works closely with our investment partners and Native counterparts to bridge cultures and produce projects that yield tremendous value to stakeholders. At the same time, we leverage resources in a manner that preserves cultural traditions and respects sites of significant cultural interest.

Every project presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, and our team, working together and with our stakeholders, look forward to exploring them. We’re an international company with deep roots in local cultures and communities, holding onto our traditional values, and working toward a better future.

Learn more about the IDG team by clicking on our profiles to the right, or downloading the IDG bios PDF here.

While diverse in their backgrounds, all members of the IDG team are committed to excellence, sensitive to the needs and requirements of indigenous peoples, and ready to lend their expertise to the economic advancement of the communities they serve. Combined, they bring an extensive network of business contacts that span the financial markets of the US, including Hawaii, as well as Asia and the South Pacific. The members of IDG are as follows:

Patricia K. Brandt: Chief Executive Officer, Director

Patricia Brandt, is an accomplished professional with extensive background in both public and private sectors. She has previously served as Chief of Staff to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) chairman of the board, Pat brings her influence and keen understanding of the important issues facing Hawaiians as Hawaii leaders move forward in efforts to secure critical recognition by the federal government. A 25 year veteran of Hawaii State government, Pat has also worked in appointed advisory capacities in the administrations of two Hawaii governors, John Waihee III and George Ariyoshi. She launched Hawaii’s first micro-loan program in partnership with the Small Business Administration and the Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Service and served as the executive director of the Pacific Gateway Center assisting Asian and Pacific Island immigrants. She is currently working with community groups on strategic planning and development by heading up the State’s Kupa’a non-profit entity focusing on water and sewage. As a Native Hawaiian, Pat is comfortable combining her heritage with our pursuit of business opportunities that yield positive outcomes for all participants. She readily embraces our ideology and shares our passion in preserving the dignity of all Native-to-Native peoples as we unfold our tableau of exciting strategic alliances and potential projects.

Robbie Le’a Kapi’olani Cabral: Senior Advisor, Director

Roberta Le’a Kapi’olani Cabral (“Robbie”) founded IDG in 1998 and serves as the Senior Advisor. A Native Hawaiian with a keen appreciation for indigenous cultures, Robbie is the catalyst behind IDG’s Native-to-Native (N2N) community based development model that is breaking barriers in the renewable energy field. To date, IDG has established successful joint ventures, negotiated win-win transactions, and is bringing to fruition two large-scale geothermal power plant projects (each in excess of 50 MW) in New Zealand. In a Senior Advisory capacity, Robbie has leveraged IDG’s strengths in identifying the right alliances (from technical expertise in a highly specialized field to access to capital to investment partners) and created a vision that will bring significant, sustainable value in a replicable model that makes sense commercially, environmentally, and culturally.

For the past decade, IDG has been working to promote N2N partnerships in New Zealand. Robbie has played a strategic role in providing consultancy and managing capital building with the intelligent development of indigenous assets. Unique to the model supporting these first geothermal projects is capitalizing on the intrinsic value of assets as equity in the project, assuring participation of the land trust owners in governance and policy-making while creating jobs, providing training and scholarships, and directly benefitting communities through the creation of a viable energy alternative. This model reflects Robbie’s vision that has consistently been the foundation of her work serving Native communities. She has a demonstrated track record of success in identifying and building collaborative bridges across multicultural communities in the Asia-Pacific region. She has proven herself to be a trusted partner. A key element of IDG’s continued commitment to renewable resources will be to replicate the success experienced in New Zealand in other areas of the world, including Hawaii. IDG will continue to promote sensitive, carefully planned development that delivers results to Native stakeholders; provides long-term value to end users in the form of sustainable, renewable energy; assures appropriate rates of return to investors; and ensures preservation of culturally important environmental resources.

Lee Erwin, CPA: Financial Advisor

Lee Erwin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a principal and managing partner with Erwin Cabrinha & Au, LLP, a Top 8 CPA firm in Honolulu, Lee specializes in accounting and auditing with extensive experience in such key disciplines as tourism and construction. He has been instrumental to the solid growth of his practice over the past 30 years while, at the same time, serving as a key contributor in his advisory capacity. Lee’s focus is assuring that new ventures not only complement the organization’s interests in developing projects that produce benefits through Native-to-Native alliances, but make financial sense for all participants. With a keen eye for assessing realistic value and projecting future performance results, Lee offers an insightful and pragmatic approach as the financial partner in our projects. His goal is to help bring to fruition every project so that all goals are met and a maximum return is achieved for each property for the benefit of all collaborators in strategic Native-to-Native partnerships.

Mililani Trask, Esq: Indigenous and Community Advisor

Communicating effectively, preserving human rights under globalization, and facilitating development progress within the constructs of cultural protocols that ensure respect for indigenous peoples throughout the world and, in particular, within the Pacific region characterize the role Mililani Trask plays for IDG. With a reputation internationally as an indigenous expert in international law and human rights, Mililani sees herself as both a human rights activist and advocate. She has a longstanding commitment to advancing the causes of Native people and indigenous cultures throughout the world. This thoughtfulness of purpose is deeply valued by the United Nations, where she has served as a Diplomat and consultant for the past 15 years, representing the rights and needs of indigenous peoples. She currently serves as a member of the International Indigenous Caucus on Biodiversity and played a key role advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples relative to their land and other natural resources on the United Nations Permanent Forum Focal Point on Human Rights and Health. In her native Hawaii, she has served as a Trustee at Large in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and served as the Interim Prime Minister of Ka Lahui Hawaii (the Native Hawaiian Nation) for 11 years, in addition to numerous other roles in local and state governmental affairs.

Mililani is a cultural heritage and intellectual property attorney who provides strategic direction and assistance in helping IDG to promulgate a Native-to-Native model for economic development. This methodology ensures protective mechanisms throughout development to maintain and support cultural preservation while assuring an equitable sharing of benefits that arise from development initiatives. She also advocates for providing the right tools and support to help indigenous peoples attain basic needs, education and training, and affordable shelter as they pursue appropriate development. With IDG’s expansion into pursuits focusing on renewable energy resources and the drive to develop alternative sources, including geothermal energy, Mililani’s work helps to approach projects in a way that is culturally sensitive and enables indigenous peoples to maintain cultures and adapt positively to the needs of changing times. She is actively engaged presently in advancing IDG’s New Zealand geothermal project initiatives, helping to ensure appropriate mentoring and training programs are in place for local youth.

Mililani’s background includes a number of years in the practice of law before being named as the Executive Director of The Gibson Foundation, a post she held for nearly 20 years. Gibson is a nonprofit organization that assists Native Hawaiians in attaining home ownership. She is an extremely active volunteer in the Greater Hawaiian community, lending her talents and support to a number of pivotal causes, and is a frequent guest lecturer and conference presenter. She currently instructs international law at the University of Hawaii and within the Indigenous Training Center of Indigenous People in Greenland.

Cy Bridges: Cultural Advisor

Cy Bridges is a valued member of our strategic leadership team. He has extensive knowledge and understanding of indigenous Native culture and traditions with a passion for strengthening relationships and Native-to-Native alliances in Hawaii as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Cy’s familiarity with cultural protocols has significantly enhanced our ability to communicate effectively with people from varied cultures. With an ancestry rich in Hawaiian history, Cy is able to establish areas of common interest and help advance discussions toward a shared objective. Cy’s work with us is complemented by his extensive role in developing the Polynesian Cultural Center for the past 37 years. He currently serves as the Center’s Cultural Director. This vibrant cultural center highlights a myriad of Native Hawaiian cultural attributes and, as its focal point, presents a spectacular evening production featuring a cast of 130 performers directed by Cy. His role with us is an important factor in helping to advance our philosophy of ensuring cross-cultural collaborations, respect, and commitment globally while pursuing exciting development opportunities. Cy is also a widely respected Kumu Hula, renowned Hawaiian Genealogist and member of the Oahu Burial Council.

Patricia Medina Talbert, Esq: IDG Corporate Counsel

Patricia Medina Talbert – formerly a Superior Court judge, a partner in private practice and Special Assistant/Deputy Attorney General – brings a broad base of expertise to her role as IDG’s Kalaimoku – in ancient Hawaiian times, the counselor advisor to the ali’i (chiefs). With IDG, Patricia is corporate counsel spearheading investment and contractual negotiations. Her legal background as a jurist and as a practitioner over matters ranging from criminal trials to sentencing and from environmental law and complex business litigation to intellectual property and trade secrets all contribute to her core skills.

Patricia is the only Native Hawaiian woman appointed to a Superior Court Judgeship East of Hawaii and has also practiced law on the East Coast of the United States for the past 20 years. Patricia keenly values IDG’s commitment to its innovative Native-to-Native protocol which, integrates and honors Native resources and cultures while working effectively with traditional business model groups. Patricia also serves as IDG’s corporate negotiator with potential strategic partners. She coordinates outside counsel, ensures compliance with contract obligations and overseas project achievement. Patricia’s unique role on the IDG team is to facilitate a successful partnership between the traditional business world and IDG’s native clients and partners.

An adjunct law professor on litigation skills at Rutgers Law School, Patricia has been an officer and founder of bar associations, legal services programs, leadership institutes, community, cultural heritage and political organizations for Asians/Pacific Islanders and traditional communities. Patricia’s ohana is on O’ahu where she attended the Kamehameha Schools.

Keli’i Erwin: Financial Advisor, Renewable Energy Investments

Keli’i is a key member of IDG’s negotiating team. He is capable of creating detailed financial models and formulas used to place value on a project. Prior to joining the IDG team, he was a former financial analyst with the Monitor Group, a global management and consulting firm. He received his M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Business. Originally from Hawaii and received his B.A. in business administration from the University of Washington, where he played on the National Champion Husky football team. Prior to business school, he spent five years consulting with privately held businesses at a boutique CPA firm in Seattle. He worked with firms in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, construction, and software. Keli’i enjoys traveling, sports, and outdoor activities.

Sadiq Zarrouk, PhD: Geothermal Science, Engineering and Technical Advisor

Dr. Zarrouk is an internationally known and published author on the subject of Geothermal Engineering and provides valuable service to the IDG Team serving as the expert on all things geothermal.  He has overseen and worked on all phases of a geothermal power station development for both the private sector and other educational opportunities  and brings this vast wealth of knowledge to IDG.  In addition to the work he does for IDG, he also currently serves as a Senior Lecturer teaching advanced Geothermal courses at the University of Auckland’s Department of Engineering Science, one of the leading institutions teaching on Geothermal resource and energy generation throughout the world.  Dr. Zarrouk provides his professional opinion on surface geology and temperatures and other key resource characteristics to provide his pre-drilling assessment for all of IDG’s proposed Geothermal projects in Hawaii and New Zealand.  Dr. Zarrouk is a very valuable member of IDG and we are very honored to have him apart of our Team.

Peter Britos, PhD: Communications Advisor, Director

Pete is an instrumental member of the IDG Team.  He is a member of the Board of Directors and provides key oversight for IDG media integration.  He currently serves as Director of Multimedia & Cinematic Arts at Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU).  Previously, he was Chair of the HPU Department of Communication and Gallery Director for the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM), a division of the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.  In 2003 he returned to Hawai’i from Los Angeles to help in the creation at his alma mater of the University of Hawai’i (UH) Academy for Creative Media (ACM).  As Director and Chief Academic Officer of the Academy, he wrote the ACM’s establishing documents and taught its inaugural courses.  Dr. Britos has extensive experience in the film, TV and radio industries.  He produced television for Quincy Jones and David Salzman at CBS Television City, Radio for Rick Dees at Clear Channel Communications Los Angeles, and he taught film and television studies for over ten years at USC School of Cinematic Arts, and at UC Santa Barbara Film and Media Studies program.