Kristina Lockwood.
When Kristina Lockwood began taking night classes at Hawaiʻi Pacific University in the 1990s, she was already working in the broadcast industry. Her decision to pursue a BA in Communications wasn’t just a step toward personal growth, it was a move that would ultimately support her rise to the top of Hawaiʻi’s local television landscape.
“It was a logical degree for me to continue and expand my knowledge of the industry,” Lockwood said. “It was super helpful, and I wouldn’t be in the role I’m in if I didn’t have my degree from HPU.”
Today, Lockwood is President and General Manager at KHON-TV in Honolulu, where she leads one of Hawaiʻi’s largest media organizations. Her career spans decades and includes key leadership roles at KITV, KGMB9, and Cox Media. But before she was managing teams and transforming media strategy, she was balancing long workweeks with full days of Saturday classes and Thursday night lectures at HPU.
“There was no online school at the time, and it was hard to find programs that accommodated working adults,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that HPU was available. It was tough, but I’d do three or four classes at a time, take a break when I burned out, and then pick it back up again until I finished.”
Lockwood’s educational experience was unique, defined more by tenacity than tradition. Still, she found the curriculum immediately applicable to her job and career growth.
“Speech, marketing, communications—it was all relevant,” she explained. "It grounded me in ways that were important because I was in the workforce young, working with people much older than me. HPU helped me develop both personally and professionally.”
Throughout her career, Lockwood has led with equal parts strategy and heart. She points to the COVID-19 pandemic as a defining moment: as the state shut down and uncertainty loomed, her team at KHON got creative to keep operations going and support the community.
“We were really worried. We’re a TV station, but we rely on our clients and ad revenue to support our business and salaries,” she recalled. “We had to figure out how to sustain jobs, help our clients, and support our community all at once.”
One example she is especially proud of was the team’s ability to broadcast high school graduations when in-person ceremonies were cancelled.
“We produced and aired 27 graduations that year across our stations,” she said. "Our team worked really hard to create quality programs for each school to honor and celebrate their students. We were so excited that we could support our business and help to give students and families a meaningful celebration.”
It’s this kind of mission-driven thinking that continues to guide Lockwood today. KHON’s newsroom operates under the brand statement “Working for Hawaiʻi,” a commitment reflected in how it approaches content across television, digital platforms, and beyond.
“There’s definitely a fine line between news and sales, but our newsroom is committed to providing credible, fact-checked information,” she said. “On the business side, we’re focused on reaching people where they are, including digital. That’s become a huge part of our work.”
As the media landscape continues to shift, Lockwood says the power of television remains so incredible, and they are now able to pair the medium with digital media to provide content for viewers across all platforms, and marketing tools for advertisers to help them reach their customers wherever they are.
“Our goal now is to be a top-tier media company that serves the community on all platforms,” she said. "Our business model has changed. Our employees are doing things they weren’t doing even five years ago. It’s exciting—and with AI, it’s only going to keep evolving.”
While Lockwood draws a firm line when it comes to using AI in newsroom reporting—emphasizing the importance of human research and fact-checking—she sees enormous opportunity for AI on the business side.
“It’s already helping so many parts of our business,” she said. “It can make things more efficient for employees and enhance how we work with clients.”
Lockwood’s leadership style is rooted in mentorship and service. A proud member of HPU’s HPU Connect and Shark Ambassadors, she sees alumni engagement as a way to show the next generation what’s possible.
“It’s really important to give back and to be a good role model,” she said. “People in Hawaiʻi need to see that they can do anything. The world is changing. Opportunities that once weren’t available now are, and we should help people take advantage of that.”
To young professionals entering the industry, she offers simple but powerful advice: “Work hard. Show up on time. Be someone others can count on. Communication skills and teamwork matter. Attitude matters.”
Looking back on her career, Lockwood says she wishes she had taken herself a little less seriously.
“I started young, so I missed out on some things, but I also got ahead and learned a lot. I’ve met and worked with so many amazing people,” she explained.
Now having hit her professional stride, Lockwood remains deeply energized by her work.
“What motivates me is helping our community and making Hawaiʻi the best place to live and work,” she said. “There are challenges in living here—it’s expensive, it’s hard—but I want to shine a light on people doing good work, on our culture, our history. And on the digital side of the industry, there’s still so much to learn. I feel like I’m just getting started.”
