Wade Shimabukuro

With the hiring of Wade Shimabukuro at its Maui district office, the Department of Accounting and General Services now has staffed district offices in Maui County, West Hawaii, East Hawaii and Kauai.

The department announced Friday that Shimabukuro of Wailuku has been named as the department’s new engineering program manager for the Maui district office.

In the role, the Maui native is responsible for overseeing repairs and maintenance for more than 600 buildings in the county, including public schools, libraries and state-owned facilities.

He also manages parking enforcement for state parking lots, as well as automotive services for state vehicles, and supervises construction management for various state agencies.

“It’s a big job,” DAGS Director and Comptroller Keith Regan said in a news release. “Each district office essentially functions like a mini-DAGS, with all of the obligations of our department. It was not easy to fill this position, and we’re thrilled to have someone as capable as Wade.”

Shimabukuro is a graduate of Baldwin High School who most recently worked at Maui County’s Department of Public Works as the development services administrator.

In his four years there, he was responsible for overseeing the issuance of various construction permits and coordinating building code amendment updates with the County Council. He also helped with the recovery and rebuilding of Lahaina after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

According to the department, Shimabukuro is no stranger to DAGS, and he held the same position from 2013-21.

During that tenure, he was awarded DAGS Manager of the Year in 2016. Before that, he was an engineer for 13 years, also in the Maui District Office.

“Although I am sad to leave the great people at the county, I’m excited and honored to return to a department I know and love,” Shimabukuro said. “I’ve spent most of my professional career working for DAGS, and I am passionate about the work we do and all we serve. I was born and raised on Maui and love knowing I can make a difference right here in my community.”

Collectively, DAGS is responsible for roughly 1,800 buildings across the neighbor islands.

With Shimabukuro’s hiring, DAGS now has engineering program managers at all four of its district offices on Neighbor Islands.

More about DAGS and its District Offices on https://ags.hawaii.gov/.