Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 2, 1 February 2015 — A new year with new opportunities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A new year with new opportunities

A loha from Kaua'i and

ANi'ihau! I am extremely excited as we embark on the journey of this new year! I would like to start by acknowledging our new leadership team as it has begun to take shape. Both Chair Lindsey and I have welcomed new staff members to assist as we move forward in our new roles as Chair and Vice-Chair of the board. I would like to weleome Harold Nedd,

Capsun Poe (formerly my Senior Aide and now BOT Secretary) and Davis Price to our BOT staff. With new leadership and some fresh faces, we are eager to go above and beyond to serve the needs of our beneficiaries and have hit the ground running. With the new year comes a another State legislative session, and I am excited for this year as we have an opportunity to build new relationships and hit new milestones with our community. A eommon theme that we at OHA will be trying to emphasize this year is the impact of OHA's grants and overall investments in our communities. Whenever you hear of government spending you often hear of the "multiplier" effect of that spending, whieh is the unseen impact of that spending. In the case of OHA's community investments, there is a great multiplier effect as soon as the grants are approved. Oftentimes, OHA funds are matched by in-kind contributions and/or monetary matches from varying sources. Thus, every dollar spent is actually worth two or three times that amount. Additionally, there are impacts in the community such as job creation, job training, education, emergency assistance, cultural revitalization and countless more benefits that occur and have ripple effects throughout the State, far beyond the Hawaiian community.

Additionally, OHA's legislative

package will include a handful of measures addressing a number of areas. Of particular signiheanee is the Hawaiian Language Assessment bill, whieh would require the State to develop nontranslated assessment exams for Hawaiian Language immersion students. This is a eontinuation of an ongoing discussion that OH A, the immersion school eommunity, the Legislature and the DOE have been having for a number of

years. I hope to work with our board, our administration and the Legislature to finally bring resolve to this matter this year. Finally, I would like to end with a very big shout-out to Marcus Mariota ! This loeal boy's aeeomplishments are immense. He was the first person from Hawai'i to ever receive college football's highest honor in winning the Heisman Trophy, he played for a Nalional Championship and is likely to be a top piek in the NFL draft. Mariota was also the recipient of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame's inaugural Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. This loeal boy of Samoan descent is our Polynesian cousin and has demonstrated that he is a role model and hne example for our youth. As an athlete, eoaeh and educator, I am a firm believer that sports play a huge role in developing our youth; it teaches leadership, perseverance, responsibility and teamwork. When someone from our home reaches the pinnacles of athletic achievement as a student athlete and does it with the humility and grace that Mariota has shown, he should be highly lauded. So, ho'omaika'i to you Marcus and mahalo for being a role model and representing your island home with pride and class. Mahalo nui loa for reading! ■

Dan Ahuna VicE Chair, TrustEE, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau