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Victorino names budget, economic directors to team

New finance head, 10 deputies picked

The Maui News

Mayor-elect Mike Victorino made his second round of appointments Monday, including his budget, Office of Economic Development and 10 deputy directors.

He also named a new finance director, Scott Teruya, currently real property assessment division chief. When Victorino announced his first round of appointments Dec. 10, he had named Marci Sato as finance director.

Since then, she has decided to remain in her current position as accounting services administrator in the Finance Department because of family commitments, the news release said.

Teruya graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Business Administration. Since 1997, he has worked in the Department of Finance Real Property Assessment Division. His appointment will require confirmation from the County Council.

Michele Yoshimura was named budget director. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in liberal studies (communications) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, graduating in 1989. She was budget director under former Mayor James “Kimo” Apana from 1999 to 2002 and most recently has been a legislative analyst for the County Council’s Budget and Finance Committee from 2012.

Kay Fukumoto was appointed director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. She earned a bachelor’s of business administration accounting degree from the University of Hawaii in 1982. She’s a certified public accountant and certified management accountant and has been chief financial officer of Fukumoto Engineering Inc. since 1994. Her community involvement includes being president of Maui Taiko and event co-chairwoman for Maui Matsuri.

The budget director, economic development positions and deputy director positions do not require council confirmation. The deputy directors appointed follow:

• Finance. May-Anne Alibin earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2003 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2010.

• Department of Corporation Counsel. Ed Kushi Jr. has served as first deputy corporation counsel since 2011 and was deputy corporation counsel from 1999 to 2010. He is a 1978 Washburn School of Law graduate.

• Prosecutor’s office. Robert Rivera was reappointed first deputy, a position he has held since 2011. A 1990 graduate of Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, Rivera was a deputy prosecuting attorney from 2002-10. Before that, he was a law partner in the firm of Rivera and Martin, Attorneys and Counselors At Law from March through December 2010.

• Environmental management. Shayne Agawa has been the deputy director in the Department of Water Supply and worked as an engineer in the Department of Public Works for more than 15 years. He is a 1994 graduate of Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering.

• Housing and Human Concerns. Lori Tsuhako, who has been a social worker for 32 years, served as deputy director of the department from 2007-11 in the Mayor Charmaine Tavares administration. She is a 1984 graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.

• Parks and Recreation. John Buck has been deputy director of the Department of Transportation since March and an executive assistant to Mayor Alan Arakawa prior to that. He served in a variety of positions in the parks department from 1986 to 2009, including as deputy director from 2007 to 2009. He is a 1973 graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

• Planning. Jordan Hart is president and land planner for Chris Hart & Partners, a firm established by his late father, former Planning Director Chris Hart. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2003 from Northern Arizona University.

• Public Works. Rowena Dagdag-Andaya retains the position she was appointed to in 2011. She is a 1999 graduate of Gonzaga University.

• Transportation. Michael Du Pont comes to the county having been operations manager with Roberts Hawaii Tours & Transportation since 2010.

• Water. Helene Kau has been an assistant fiscal officer with the water department in 2005-06 and since 2011. She also was a budget specialist in the Tavares administration from 2007-10. She is a 1987 University of Hawaii at Manoa graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting.

“This marks the next phase of high-caliber leaders to step forward and offer their wealth of experience to serve the people of Maui County,” Victorino said. “We looked for the most highly qualified people who’re committed to our island communities and dedicated to customer service.”

On Dec. 10, the mayor-elect named 10 department directors and his chief of staff and managing director.

In a story appearing the next day on Page A1, the headline and story cited the wrong number of directors appointed. The Maui News apologizes for the error.

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