SSCR1406

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1406

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 662, 663, 664

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 662, 663, and 664, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

University of Hawai'i Board of Regents

G.M. No. 662

SAEDENE K. OTA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015;

G.M. No. 663

CORALIE C. MATAYOSHI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016; and

G.M. No. 664

JAN N. SULLIVAN,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Saedene K. Ota, Coralie C. Matayoshi, and Jan N. Sullivan to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Saedene K. Ota from the Governor; State Representative Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran; Hawaiian Springs, LLC; Maui High Performance Computing Center; Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.; and eight individuals.

Ms. Ota is the Owner and Creative Director of Sae Design, a small graphic design firm focusing on branding, packaging, web design, and strategic marketing. Ms. Ota studied Graphic Design and Packaging at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, California State University, Northridge, and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Ms. Ota has won several creative awards, including two Hawaii Advertising Federation Pele Best of Show recognitions. In 2005, Ms. Ota was honored as the United States Small Business Administration Small Business Advocate of the Year "Women in Business Champion".

Ms. Ota is active in the community. She has been involved with the Maui Board of Economic Development, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Hawai‘i State Art Museum, Maui Young Business Roundtable, Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation, and A Keiki's Dream. She has also provided pro-bono design services for the Department of Education, Hale Makua Health Services, Maui Youth & Family Services, and Maui Community College.

Ms. Ota's short-term goal as a Board of Regent member is to increase public-private partnerships to help meet the fiscal needs of the University of Hawaii in light of budget shortfalls. Ms. Ota testified that when she attended design school in California, she personally saw the benefit of public-private partnerships at the university-level. Much of her design work was often sponsored by a private company that provided a financial benefit to the school while tapping the minds of talented students. Ms. Ota expressed that she would like to see more of this type of public-private partnership at the University of Hawaii.

Ms. Ota's business savvy and creativity will provide the Board of Regents with a fresh perspective toward meeting the challenges facing the University of Hawaii System.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Coralie C. Matayoshi from the Governor; United States Army Major General Robert G.F. Lee (Retired); City and County of Honolulu Chief of Police; City and County of Honolulu Fire Chief; American Red Cross; and forty-one individuals.

Coralie C. Matayoshi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkley. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Since 2003, Ms. Matayoshi has served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Red Cross, Hawai‘i Chapter. As CEO, Ms. Matayoshi oversees the statewide delivery of humanitarian services through nine offices and a $5,000,000 budget. Ms. Matayoshi works with a volunteer Board of Directors, four neighbor island Advisory Councils, community leaders, military personnel, government agencies, schools, and peer agencies to raise funds, market, staff, and operate programs to fulfill the agency's mission of saving lives and giving hope to those in need.

Ms. Matayoshi has also served as a Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C. Ms. Matayoshi previously served as the Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Institute for Continuing Legal Education and Executive Director of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association.

Ms. Matayoshi's short-term goal as a member of the Board of Regents is to create innovate community partnerships among the University of Hawaii, government, and non-profits to harness their collective energies and strengths to tackle complex social problems, give students practical experience and exposure to the real world, and provide non-paid assistance to businesses, government, and non-profits. Ms. Matayoshi believes that these efforts will build a base of future volunteers, produce a workforce that understands the needs of the public, as well as create trust, good will, buy-in, and financial support for the University from the community.

Over the past twenty-three years, Ms. Matayoshi has successfully led three statewide, non-profit organizations. As Executive Director of the Hawaii Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Ms. Matayoshi helped turn a nearly bankrupt educational organization into an organization that had $150,000 in reserve funds. Ms. Matayoshi's dedication and innovate sprit will serve her well as a member of the Board of Regents.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Jan N. Sullivan from the Governor; Former City and County of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris; Hawaii Carpenters Union; Group 70 International, Inc.; and ten individuals.

Ms. Sullivan received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Colorado. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law. Ms. Sullivan has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Oceanit, a diverse engineering, technology, and science company, for the past ten years. In her role as CEO, Ms. Sullivan is responsible for overseeing and managing all of the company's operational and business units.

Prior to managing Oceanit, Ms. Sullivan served as the Director of the Department of Land Utilization, as well as Director of the Department of Planning and Permitting, for the City and County of Honolulu. As Planning Director, Ms. Sullivan modernized the Department and established the first computerized permit tracking system in the State.

Ms. Sullivan is active in the community. She has served as a member of the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Charter Commission for the City and County of Honolulu. She has also served on the Boards of Homeless Aloha, Parents and Children Together, and Girl Scouts of Hawaii. She is currently the Vice Chair of the Hawai‘i Nature Center and is a founding Board member of the non-profit Mutual Housing Association.

Ms. Sullivan expressed to your Committee that she would like to see the implementation of the Hawaii Innovation Technology Exchange Institute, one of the key recommendations of the University of Hawaii President's Advisory Council on Hawaii Innovation and Technology Advancement. Ms. Sullivan testified that as a Board of Regents member she would support instituting the necessary policies required to advance the University's role in developing a high technology industry in the State, integrating entrepreneurship and innovation into the curriculum.

Ms. Sullivan's experience in the public and private sectors will give her a unique perspective in helping the Board of Regents achieve its mission.

Your Committee finds that while the Regents Candidate Advisory Council for the Board of Regents has fielded many outstanding appointees to the Board, including the three individuals your Committee is recommending for confirmation, many substantive concerns have been raised as to the selection process. Since the inception of the Regents Candidate Advisory Council in 2007, your Committee has dealt with a number of issues resulting from the new method of Regent selection, which has hampered the work of the Regents Candidate Advisory Council and led to questions regarding the final selection of appointees during the Senate confirmation process.

Especially on the heels of the Board of Education appointment process, your Committee can clearly see the potential value in granting the Governor the authority to select and appoint Regents on the basis of how each Regent's individual strengths will add to and complement the overall Board of Regents. It has become evidently clear that no Governor will be able to adequately select nominees to the Board of Regents unless the Governor has more control and involvement in the recruitment and selection process.

Understanding that the Regents Candidate Advisory Council was established as a result of an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution, and recognizing that in 2007 the Legislature did its best to put forth a thoughtful process in response to the constitutional mandate, your Committee believes that the time has come to reassess and seriously consider making significant changes to the form and function of the Regents Candidate Advisory Council.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that are 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 Education,

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair