Gov. Josh Green has announced more appointments to lead several state departments, including (front row, from left) Dawn Chang, chairperson for the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Sharon Hurd, chairperson for the Department of Agriculture; Ikaika Anderson, chairperson for the Hawaiian Homes Commission; and (back row, from left) Laura Ka‘akua, first deputy for the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Morris Atta, deputy to the chair for the Department of Agriculture; and Katie Lambert Ducatt, deputy to the chairperson for the Hawaiian Homes Commission. Photo courtesy Governor’s Office

The Maui News

Two Native Hawaiian women have been appointed to lead the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for the first time as Gov. Josh Green announced a second round of nominees to serve as directors and deputy directors of several state departments.

Dawn Chang, who has more than 30 years of experience working on land rights and Native Hawaiian issues as a deputy attorney general and a member of the state Land Use Commission, has been appointed as chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources. Chang currently serves as the principal of Ku’iwalu, a Hawaiian woman-owned consulting firm.

Laura Ka’akua has been appointed to serve as first deputy for DLNR. She currently serves as the president and CEO of Hawai’i Land Trust, where she oversees projects on protection of coastlines, farms, ranches, Hawaiian cultural landscapes and historic sites.

Green also tapped Ikaika Anderson to chair the Hawaiian Homes Commission. Anderson ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary election. Prior to that, he served as Honolulu City Council chairperson and partnered with then-Lt. Gov. Green to bring Hui Mahi’ai ‘Aina, a kauhale-style tiny-home village, to Waimanalo in 2019.

The governor also named Sharon Hurd as chairperson of the Department of Agriculture, where she has 14 years of experience, most recently as business development program manager, and worked on the “Buy Local, It Matters” campaign to encourage residents to purchase locally produced goods.

Green also appointed Scott Glenn to head the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. Glenn’s roots are in urban planning, and he shares Green’s vision to grow the economy while addressing climate change simultaneously, the Governor’s Office said.

“Today’s nominees and appointments join a group of high caliber individuals with strengths in their respective fields,” Green said in a news release Monday. “Together, the cabinet will work to make housing more affordable, bring down the cost of living and work every day to make government more efficient through strong communication and collaboration.”

Other appointments include:

• Katie Lambert Ducatt, deputy to the chairperson for the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

• Dean Hazama, deputy director for the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

• Gordon Ito, insurance commissioner for the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

• Tammy Lee, first deputy for administration for the Department of Transportation.

• Dre Kalili, deputy director for harbors for the Department of Transportation.

• Robin Shishido, deputy director for highways for the Department of Transportation.

• William Oku, deputy director for law enforcement for the Department of Public Safety.

• Michael Vincent, deputy director for administration for the Department of Law Enforcement.

• Mark “Dutch” Hanohano, sheriff for the Department of Law Enforcement.

• William Kunstman, deputy director for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

• Kristen Sakamoto, deputy director for the Department of Taxation.

• James Koshiba, governor’s coordinator on homelessness.