A familiar face is returning to the helm of the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency next week.
Darryl Oliveira, who served nine years as fire chief and was administrator of Civil Defense from 2013 to 2016, has been hired as acting administrator of the agency effective Monday, Aug. 17. He'll lead the agency while the county hires a permanent replacement for former Administrator Talmadge Magno, who retired Aug. 1.
“We are honored to have Darryl Oliveira return to Civil Defense as acting administrator,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said in an announcement Friday. “We know he will provide the calm and steady leadership that our residents expect from this pivotal role.”
According to the county, Oliveira oversaw the response to Tropical Storm Iselle, the 2014 Puʻuʻōʻō lava flow, the dengue fever outbreak and other incidents during his previous tenure with Civil Defense.
Oliveira also served as interim director for the Maui Emergency Management Agency from August to November 2023. He was named to the interim MEMA role following the deadly and devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, which ravaged parts of the Valley Isle and destroyed much of Lahaina Town.
“Serving our community is always a privilege and I am grateful for the opportunity to step forward,” Oliveira said in Friday's announcement. “We have a great team at Civil Defense, and our focus as always remains to protect public safety, communicate effectively with our community and partners, and engage our residents with aloha.”
Hawai‘i County Managing Director Bill Brilhante became acting administrator for the agency following Magno's retirement, the announcement noted, but "Oliveira has been engaged with Civil Defense and the county’s planning efforts ahead of Tropical Storm Lala."
A county spokesperson told Aloha State Daily that Oliveira is acting in a volunteer capacity providing operational guidance to the administration and will assume full acting administrator responsibilities effective Monday.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
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