Margaret “Maggie” Willis and Jacky Takakura were sworn in April 1 as the directors of the Maui County departments of human concerns and planning, respectively, after their appointments were confirmed by the Maui County Council.

“Both of our new directors bring expertise, strong leadership and deep commitment to serving our community,” Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement. “We’re thankful that they have stepped forward to fill these vital roles. Their work will help make a meaningful difference in the lives of our residents.”

Willis brings more than two decades of experience in private and public social services management. Her work has included grants management, policy and program design and implementation, and homelessness prevention for vulnerable populations.

She has led the development and implementation of homeless services, housing and diversion programs across Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica, Glendale and San Diego. Her accomplishments include helping design a point-of-arrest diversion program with the Los Angeles City Attorney and Los Angeles Police Department, leading shelter and transitional housing acquisitions, and securing partnerships to develop a mixed-use housing and health services facility.

Willis also directed large-scale initiatives such as annual homeless counts, multidisciplinary street outreach teams and a COVID-era emergency rental assistance program that served hundreds of households.

Before joining Maui County, Willis served as director of Los Angeles County’s Benefits Entitlement Services Team, where she managed more than 100 staff who assisted over 5,000 homeless and at-risk disabled individuals in securing income through SSI, SSDI and related benefit programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Texas at Austin.

Takakura, who was appointed planning director in February, began her career with Maui County in 1998. She has worked in both the Department of Water Supply and the Department of Planning, including roles in the Zoning and Enforcement Division and as deputy planning director from July to December 2022.

Most recently, Takakura served as Long Range Division planning program administrator, a position she has held since January 2023. Prior to joining the county, she worked for Ernst & Young Telecommunications Consulting in Seattle and taught English in Japan.

Takakura earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and Japanese language and literature from the University of Washington in Seattle and a professional certificate in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Jessica Crouse, who had been serving as acting director of the Department of Human Concerns following the retirement of longtime director Lori Tsuhako in December, was sworn in as deputy director.

Crouse previously worked in the county’s Department of Housing and Human Concerns Housing Division for five years before founding Crouse Consulting LLC, a management and business leadership consulting firm. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State University.

Ana Lillis will continue serving as deputy director of the Planning Department.