Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 11, 1 November 2013 — OHA appoints new chief operating officer [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA appoints new chief operating officer

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has announced that it has hired a new chief operating officer. Kāwika M. Burgess, 40, was to start his new job Oct. 31, taking responsibility for running the day-to-day operations of an agency with about 170 employees. Burgess brings to his second-in-command post within OHA's administration a background in land management from positions at Kamehameha Schools and the Trust for Puhlie Land. He also comes to OHA at a time when the agency is focused on tackling such challenges as improving its effectiveness as the state's 13th largest landowner with more than 27,530 acres of land. "With this appointment, we have put in plaee an essential management and structural dimension for addressing the critical issues facing our organization," said OHA Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer Kamana'opono Crabbe. "I am very excited about the prospects for our organization with the addition of Kāwika to OHA's executive team." — Haro\d Nedd ■

Kōwika M. Burgess. - Photo: Ryan 6onzales