Gov. Josh Green on Friday announced appointments to three state boards: the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Campaign Spending Commission and the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission.
- Green has reappointed Kali Watson as chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.
Watson, who is director of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, led the department from 1995 to 1998 under then-Gov. Ben Cayetano, and returned to the role in 2023. An announcement from the Governor's Office on Friday noted that Watson's tenure has "focused on accelerating homestead development and expanding residential agricultural and pastoral lease opportunities for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries." He also previously served as president and CEO of the nonprofit Hawaiian Community Development Board.
The governor also appointed Kanoa Alapai, a senior land operations manager for Kamehameha Schools, and Gabe Amey, the founder and executive director of RiseHI Foundation who also launched Our Kūpuna, and reappointed Mike Kaleikini, a leader at Puna Geothermal Venture on Hawai‘i Island, to the Hawaiian Homes Commission.
According to the announcement, Alapai has nearly 20 years of experience in land stewardship, property management and agricultural operations, and in his role with KS oversees about 175,000 acres in West Hawai‘i. He previously managed Waikiʻi Ranch and serves on the boards of the Paniolo Preservation Society and Nā ʻŌiwi ʻO Puʻuanahulu, the announcement notes.
Amey, an Omidyar Fellow and graduate of St. Louis School and Menlo College, has more than two decades of business and lending experience.
Kaleikini, meanwhile, has more than 40 years of experience in power generation, including six years in the U.S. Navy and more than 35 years with PGV. He works in business development and serves with several Big Island business and community organizations.
The Hawaiian Homes Commission is the executive board that heads DHHL, the HHC website states. Its nine members are appointed by the governor. The chair of the commission also serves as the full-time administrator of the department.
Appointments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission are subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
- Wesley Bogdan was appointed to the Campaign Spending Commission. According to the announcement, Bogdan has more than 30 years of legal experience including service in private practice, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or CNMI, offices of the Attorney General and Public Defender, as legal counsel to two CNMI governors and as an associate judge of the CNMI Superior Court from 2017 to 2023. He currently works as a legal consultant, mediator and international football integrity officer.
- Dr. Robert Hong was reappointed to the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission, where he has served since 2022. Originally from Honolulu, Hong is a Kalani High School graduate, and a cardiologist and professor emeritus at the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine. According to the announcement, he established the state's first accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship and served in senior clinical, educational and administrative roles at JABSOM and The Queen's Medical Center.
Laura Valenzuela, who has more than 45 years of residential property experience and currently manages affordable housing on Maui, also was appointed to the Ethics Commission. She's also a certified hospice aide and community advocate, the announcement notes.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
