Cherie Okada was born in Honolulu, grew up in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, and resides in Honaunau, South Kona. She has a bachelor's degree in Art from Linfield College in Oregon. Throughout the years her credentials and "titles" have also included (often simultaneously): Bachelor of Arts in History, Master's degree in Pacific Island History, painter, high school teacher, Student Services Coordinator, quilter, lei maker, pa'u rider, lauhala weaver, and custom framer. She is a member of Ka Ulana Lauhala O Kona and the Professional Picture Framers Association.  Cherie feels gratitude and much aloha for her friends, kumu, and kupuna who have taught her the skills of quilting, lei making, and ka ulana lauhala.  These wonderful sources of knowledge are:  Barbara Nobriga, Harriet Soong, Shirley Kauhaihao, Gladys Grace, Margaret Lovett, Pohaku Kahoohanohano, and Ray Dwyer.