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Chad Kempel, youth keynote speaker based in Boise, Idaho, on stage with a microphone
Youth speaker • Hawaii • Based in Boise

The top youth speaker in Hawaii lives in Boise, honeymooned on Maui, and quotes one price with the flights already in it.

Chad Kempel is a youth keynote speaker with 4 Guinness World Records titles, an MA in Experimental Psychology, and three talks built for high school assemblies. He lives in Boise, Idaho. He and his wife, Amy, honeymooned on Maui, and he has wanted a reason to come back ever since. Honolulu is a nonstop from Boise in the winter months and one stop the rest of the year. He comes in the day before, and the airfare, the inter-island hop, the rental car and the hotel are already in one number.

Hawaii Rate: from $5,000 per assembly, travel included · See what’s included ↓
Other regions have their own pages: Idaho · California · Western states · Midwest · East Coast · The South · Alaska

Why a speaker based in Boise works for a Hawaii school

Most mainland speakers quote a fee and then a travel line, and for Hawaii the travel line is the scary part: two long flights, a hotel at Hawaii prices, maybe an inter-island hop, and a total nobody can confirm until the receipts show up. Chad quotes one number. For the 2026–27 school year an assembly anywhere in Hawaii is $5,000, and that includes the flights, the inter-island hop if you’re on a neighbor island, the rental car and the hotel. No deposit. He invoices after the talk.

He flies in the day before, every time, and for a neighbor island or a first-period assembly he’ll come two days early, so the time change is his problem and not yours. Hawaii runs three or four hours behind Boise depending on the season, and a speaker who landed at 9 p.m. is not the speaker you want at 7:45 a.m. The talk is the same one he gives in Idaho. The distance is the only thing that changes.

He and Amy honeymooned on Maui in January 2007, and he loves Hawaii, which he’ll say without being asked. He took the flower photos on this page himself, on that trip, and he has more of them than a grown man should admit to. None of that makes him local, and he knows it. It makes him somebody who wants the trip. Hawaii is also the one state with a single public school district, so a principal, a complex area office, a charter or a private school all book him the same way: send a date.

Chad Kempel and his wife Amy on their honeymoon on Maui, with red ginger flowers, palm trees and the ocean behind them
Chad and his wife, Amy, on their honeymoon on Maui, January 2007.

How Chad gets to your school

Alaska Airlines starts a daily Boise to Honolulu nonstop on December 17, 2026, running through March 21. The rest of the year it’s one stop, usually through Seattle, Portland or Salt Lake City, then a short hop if you’re on a neighbor island.

Island and airportFlight from BoiseAbout
Oahu (Honolulu)Nonstop Dec 17 to Mar 21; one stop the rest of the yearAbout 6 hours 30 minutes in the air nonstop
Maui (Kahului)One stop through Seattle or Portland, or Honolulu plus a 35-minute hopMost of a day, door to door
Hawaii Island (Kona)One stop through Seattle, Portland or Los Angeles, or Honolulu plus a 45-minute hopMost of a day, door to door
Hawaii Island (Hilo)Honolulu plus a 50-minute hopMost of a day, door to door
Kauai (Lihue)One stop, or Honolulu plus a 35-minute hopMost of a day, door to door
Molokai and LanaiHonolulu plus a short hopMost of a day, door to door
Rounded from the Boise Airport’s announcement of the Honolulu nonstop and the airlines’ timetables. Flight schedules change by season, so Chad checks the real one before he quotes your date. Because he comes in the day before (two days for a neighbor island), the connection is his problem, not yours. Not on the list? Ask.

What booking a Hawaii school looks like

  1. Send your city and dates. Use the contact page or call (208) 391-2959. You’ll hear back within 48 hours with one number that already has the travel in it. No surprise line items later.
  2. A short survey, then a planning call. A few quick questions for whoever knows your students best, then a call with you and your counseling team about a week before the talk: what you want students walking out with, and anything going on at your school the talk should know about. Your counselors get the full outline before the day, and anything they want left out stays out.
  3. He flies in the day before. Nonstop or one stop into Honolulu, a short hop if you’re on a neighbor island, then a rental car and a hotel near your school. He’s in your building before the first bell, not texting from a gate in Denver.
  4. The talk, then the part that matters. The assembly fits your block. Student Q&A after, then time for students to come up and talk one on one. Your teachers get discussion questions and a worksheet for the next morning. Your students get the tools from the talk on a page of their own, and the paperwork is on the documents page.
  5. Two schools, one trip. Each additional school on the same trip pays $2,000 for one assembly, with no added travel. If the school across town or down the highway might want him the same week, tell them.
  6. Short notice is fine. If there’s a seat on a flight, he’ll be there. Ask before you assume a date’s gone.
Preview the teacher toolkit →

Island by island: where he goes

Every tie below is real. He’d rather tell you he spent one honeymoon on Maui than pretend he’s a local.

Oahu

Honolulu is the airport, and from it Pearl City, Aiea, Mililani, Kapolei, Ewa Beach, Waipahu, Kailua and Kaneohe are all inside an hour, traffic permitting, which on Oahu is a real phrase. The North Shore and Waianae are a longer drive and he’ll make it. Public, charter or private, the booking works the same way. A top youth speaker in Hawaii will spend most of his time here, because most of the schools are here.

Maui

This is the island he knows. He and Amy honeymooned here in January 2007. Kahului is the airport, and Wailuku, Kihei, Pukalani, Makawao and Lahaina are all within about an hour. Hana is farther, and if a school out there wants him, he’ll drive the road. A top youth speaker in Maui County doesn’t have to be from Maui. He has to show up, and this is one trip he won’t need talking into.

Hawaii Island

Kona and Hilo both have airports, and the island is big enough that it matters which one. Kailua-Kona, Waimea and Kealakekua are on the Kona side. Hilo, Keaau and Pahoa are on the other, about 90 minutes across the Saddle Road. He picks the airport closest to your school and lands the day before. For a top youth speaker on the Big Island, the only question is which side.

Kauai

Lihue is the airport, and Kapaa, Koloa and Waimea are all inside about an hour. One island, one airport, one price. He gets there the day before, same as everywhere else.

Molokai and Lanai

Short hops from Honolulu, and some of the smallest high schools in the state. He’s glad to come. The smaller the room, the more students he gets to talk with one on one afterward, and that part of the day is the part he’d fly the farthest for.
A yellow hibiscus with a red center, photographed on Maui
Yellow hibiscus, Maui, January 2007. Chad took it.
A pink hibiscus in full bloom, photographed on Maui
Pink hibiscus, same trip. He has a lot of these.

Credentials that hold up when a student Googles him

Because every student in every one of these states has a phone.

4
Guinness World Records titles
MA
Experimental Psychology, San Jose State
5 yrs
University Lecturer, San Jose State
20 yrs
Same San Mateo County Health department

Chad set all four records pushing his five kids, quintuplets born at 27 weeks, in a stroller: marathon 4:42:49 in Modesto, California; half marathon 2:19:55 in Oakland, California; 10K 1:04:52.9 in Garden City, Idaho; 1K 5:34 in Eagle, Idaho. Each time links to the official Guinness World Records listing, and every race he has run since 2002 is on the race log with its chip time. He is trained in QPR suicide prevention and completed psychological first aid training through San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services. So your students get a guy with receipts who can also explain why their brain does what it does.

Chad’s full story →  ·  The stories and the psychology behind them →  ·  The full resume, what’s on LinkedIn →  ·  Every news feature in one place →  ·  Photos →

Chad Kempel holding his four Guinness World Records certificates
Four certificates. The times are in public race databases, and the records are on the Guinness World Records website, so a student can check him before the bell.

Three talks built for high schools, in any state

Also available for: new-semester goal-setting assemblies · graduation and commencement · student leadership events · educator conferences

National media
TODAY Show• ABC World News Tonight• Good Morning America• Men's Health• People• Guinness World Records• 30+ national outlets
Hawaii Rate

2026–27 School Year

$5,000
One assembly, travel included
$2,000
Each additional school, same trip

One number. The flights from Boise, the inter-island hop, the rental car and the hotel are in it, and there are no other charges. No deposit. Chad flies in the day before, and you’re invoiced after the assembly, net 30. Each additional school on the same trip pays $2,000 for one assembly, with no added travel, which on Oahu is the easiest math in the state.

Booking several schools in one district or complex area? Ask for the district rate.

Check Your Date →
Idaho schools: see the Local Introductory Rate. California: the California Introductory Rate. Oregon through Arizona: the Western States rate. The Midwest, the East Coast, the South and Alaska have their own pages.

Questions Hawaii schools ask

Who is the top youth speaker in Hawaii?

Biased answer, obviously. But here’s the case: Chad Kempel set four Guinness World Records pushing his quintuplets in a stroller, holds an MA in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University, taught there for five years, and taught math inside San Quentin State Prison for another five. His three talks were built for high school students, every claim in them is public record, and he’s wanted an excuse to get back to Hawaii since his honeymoon.

Which islands does Chad speak on?

All of them. Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. The rate is the same on every island, inter-island flight included. Idaho, California, the western states, the Midwest, the East Coast, the South and Alaska have their own pages.

How much does it cost to book a youth speaker in Hawaii?

For the 2026–27 school year, one assembly at a Hawaii high school is $5,000, all-inclusive. That covers the talk and the travel from Boise: flights, the inter-island hop, rental car and hotel. There are no other charges and no deposit. Chad invoices after the assembly, net 30. Each additional school on the same trip pays $2,000 for one assembly, with no added travel. Send your school, island and dates through the contact page and you’ll hear back within 48 hours.

Why is the Hawaii rate higher than the mainland rates?

Because the trip costs more. Two long flights, a hotel at Hawaii prices, an inter-island hop if you’re not on Oahu, and a day on each end for the time change. The rate carries all of that so your invoice doesn’t have to. It’s still one number, and Hana gets the same number as Honolulu.

Does he fly in the day before?

Every time, and two days before for a neighbor island or a first-period assembly, so the time change lands on him and not on your students. If a storm, a flash-flood day or anything else closes your school, the date just moves. No charge.

Can two schools share one trip?

Yes, and it’s the best deal on this page. Each additional school on the same trip pays $2,000 for one assembly, with no added travel. If the school across town or down the highway might want him the same week, tell them. On Oahu that’s an easy week to put together.

Can we book several schools in our district at once?

Yes. Booking several schools in one district or complex area? Ask for the district rate. Send the schools, the dates you have in mind, and whether you want them the same day or the same week, and you’ll have one quote for all of them within 48 hours.

Is there a mental health speaker for high schools in Hawaii?

Yes. The Weight You’re Carrying is Chad’s mental health assembly. Students get four plain terms for what they’re feeling and a tool for each one. Chad is trained in QPR suicide prevention, follows safe-messaging guidelines for talking about suicide, and meets with your counseling team before he walks into the gym.

Do you have an anti-bullying speaker for schools in Hawaii?

I Walked the Hallways Alone is the anti-bullying and belonging talk. No lecture, no finger-wagging. It ends with one ask students can act on the next morning: sit down next to someone who looks like they’re alone.

Do you customize the talk for our school?

Every time. There’s a short survey first, then a call with you and your counseling team about a week out: your students, what you want them to walk out with, and anything going on at your school the talk should account for. Your counselors get the full outline and the take-home sheets and teacher guide before the day. The message stays the same. The delivery fits your room.

We’re a public school in the state system. Does the booking work differently?

No. Hawaii’s statewide district, a charter and a private school all book him the same way: a date, a short agreement, the survey, a planning call. W-9 and certificate of insurance at signing, invoice after, net 30. If your complex area needs a vendor form, send it and he’ll fill it out.

Our building is grades 7 to 12. Does that work?

The talks are built for grades 9 to 12. For a combined 7-12 or 6-12 building, ask. A shorter session for the younger grades is an option, and it’s part of the planning call.

Which day of the week works best?

Monday through Thursday, and not the last day before a break. Your teachers get discussion questions and a worksheet for the next morning, and those only work if there is a next morning.

Does Chad give keynotes for educator conferences in Hawaii?

Yes. He’s a keynote speaker based in Boise and opens or closes educator and association conferences anywhere in Hawaii.

How far out should we book?

As early as you can, especially for spring and graduation season. Five weeks or more is ideal: it keeps the airfare down, and since the airfare is in his price and not on your invoice, that’s his problem to manage. Still, ask before you assume a date’s gone. For Hawaii, more is better. The winter nonstop fills up.

Bring Chad to your school, on any island.

Discovery calls available · Replies within 48 hours · Based in Boise, a nonstop from Honolulu in winter

Check Your Date →
chad@chadkempel.com · (208) 391-2959