Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 6, 1 June 2017 — Laeha named OHA CFO [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Laeha named OHA CFO

By Sterling Wong David K. Laeha has joined the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as its new Chief Financial Officer and Resource Management Director. Laeha's primary responsibility will be to assist the OHA Board of Trustees and Administration in managing OHA's Native Hawaiian Trust Fund, currently valued

at $348 million. He will oversee OHA's fiscal and investment infrastructures as well as its grants, loans and scholarship programs. As the director of OHA's Resource Management-Financial Assets Line of Business, Laeha will manage a total of 33 staff. Laeha brings more than 25 years of accounting and hnaneial management experience. He is a licensed CPA with a bachelor's degree in hnanee from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and master's degree in accounting from the University of Southern California. He previously worked for Fortune 500 firms such as GTE and IBM. He also has served in senior hnaneial management positions in

loeal entities such as Pālama Holdings LLC, Hawaiian Natural Water Company and Hawai'i Community Foundation Ine. Since 2002, he has operated his own consulting firm, CFO Hawai'i LLC, whieh provides interim CFO services to high-growth businesses. "We are excited to weleome David to the OHA 'ohana," said Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, OHA's Chief Executive Officer/Ka Pouhana. "His considerable experience with both for-profit entities and

mission-driven organizations is a perfect fit for OHA. He comes to OHA at a critical moment in our agency's history as we move forward with long-term hnaneial planning to ensure that OHA's trust funds will fully serve multiple generations of future beneficiaries." "I am humbled to be able to use my skills and experience to help improve the lives of Native Hawaiians," said Laeha. "I look forward to working with our Board, administrative leadership and community to ensure a strong hnaneial foundation for the agency." Laeha currently lives with his wife in Maunawili. He has two adult children, one living in New York and another here in Hawai'i. In his free time he enjoys ikehana, bodysurfing andreading. ■

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OHAIN THE COMMUNITY

I am humbled to be able to use my skills and experience to help improve the lives of Native Hawaiians. "

— David K. Laeha, Chief Financial Of£cer and Resource Management Director

David K. Laeha. - Phoio: John Matsuzaki