STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1909

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 385, 386, 387, 388, 389

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which were referred Governor's Message Nos. 385, 386, 387, 388, and 389, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

 

State Rehabilitation Council

 

G.M. No. 385

LARRY GELLER,

for a term to expire 6-30-2010;

 

G.M. No. 386

JONATHAN J. CHUN,

for a term to expire 6-30-2009;

 

G.M. No. 387

KATIE KEIM,

for a term to expire 6-30-2010;

 

G.M. No. 388

HOWARD ALAN LESSER,

for a term to expire 6-30-2010; and

 

G.M. No. 389

JULIE KAY SMITH,

for a term to expire 6-30-2010,

 

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Larry Geller, Jonathan J. Chun, Katie Keim, Howard Alan Lesser, and Julie Kay Smith to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to the State Rehabilitation Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Larry Geller, from the Department of Human Services, the Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council, Kokua Council, Island Skill Gathering, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and one individual.  Mr. Geller earned a B.S.E.E. with honors from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and has completed coursework towards an M.A. in Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  His prior professional experience includes serving as Public Information Coordinator for the Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii, as Executive Director of the Hawaii Coalition of Health, and as Administrator with The Clinic, Child and Adolescent Resources for Education.  Mr. Geller is the current President of the Kokua Council and a recipient of the 2003 Mental Health Association Annual Award and the 2002 Mental Health Association of Maui Annual Award.  His considerable knowledge of the problems and needs of seniors and disabled individuals make Mr. Geller a valuable asset to the State Rehabilitation Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Jonathan J. Chun, from the Department of Human Services, the Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council, and the Arc of Kauai.  Mr. Chun earned a B.A. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the Gonzaga School of Law.  He is presently an attorney with Belles Graham Proudfoot & Wilson.  Mr. Chun's prior professional experience includes serving as a State Senator for the Seventh Senatorial District, as First Deputy County Attorney with the Kauai County Office of the County Attorney, and as Deputy Corporation Counsel with the Honolulu Department of the Corporation Counsel.  As noted by the Department of Human Services, Mr. Chun provides the State Rehabilitation Council with the consultation and collaboration required with the State Workforce Development Council, and an invaluable perspective of disability needs and issues on Kauai.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Katie Keim, from the Department of Human Services, the Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council, HoOpono, the former Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in Washington, D.C., the Director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, and one individual.  Ms. Keim is presently a vocational rehabilitation instructor and counselor with the State Department of Human Services Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind.  Her prior professional experience includes consulting and teaching in the areas of independent living, vocational rehabilitation, employment programs, and transitional youth programs.  She is the State Secretary of the National Federation of the Blind, and a member of the National Rehabilitation Association and the National Counsel of State Administrators for Blind Services.  During her first term on the State Rehabilitation Council, Ms. Keim collaborated with other members to strengthen the partnership with Hawaii's Vocational Rehabilitation Services, to meet federal mandates, and to support the creation of quality employment opportunities for Hawaii's disabled population.  Ms. Keim's intimate knowledge of both the challenges and possibilities facing individuals with disabilities make her a valuable contributor to the State Rehabilitation Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Howard Alan Lesser, from the Department of Human Services, the Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council, and the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.  Mr. Lesser earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati.  He is presently a case advocate with the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.  His prior professional experience includes serving as Deputy Director of the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living; as Director of Rehabilitation for Goodwill Industries of Honolulu, Inc.; as a case advocate with Protection and Advocacy Agency of Hawaii, Inc.; as a program specialist with the Hawaii State Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities; and as Executive Director of the Autistic Vocational Education Center.  Mr. Lesser is a former Chair of the Hawaii State Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council and a former Board Member of the Honolulu Community Action Program.  Mr. Lesser's significant experience and commitment to client advocacy provides the State Rehabilitation Council with a heightening understanding of the advocacy issues facing the vocational rehabilitation program.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Julie Kay Smith, from the Department of Human Services, the Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council, and two individuals.  Ms. Smith graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education from the University of Northern Iowa.  She also earned an M.A.E. in Special Education from the University of Northern Iowa and a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Florida.  She presently provides professional development consultation to improve the instruction and facilitate inclusive education within the Waianae Coast schools.  Her work enables her to focus on supporting a diverse range of learners in general education classrooms, including students with disabilities.  Ms. Smith has an extensive background in special education, having taught as an assistant professor with the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa over the past six years, and with the Department of Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa before that.  In addition, she has several publications to her credit and has been invited to lecture numerous times in the area of special education.  Ms. Smith is the current Co-chair of the State Rehabilitation Council's Human Resources Subcommittee, which has met monthly to develop and implement plans to provide educational information regarding disability to the public.  Ms. Smith's extensive experience as a teacher educator, specifically in the area of special education, makes her a great asset to the State Rehabilitation Council.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Public Housing,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair