SSCR1646

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1646

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 570, 684

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 570 and 684, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Hawai'i Workforce Development Council

G.M. No. 570

SUNSHINE TOPPING,

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

G.M. No. 684

CONSTANCE MITCHELL,

for a term to expire 6-30-2017,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Sunshine Topping and Constance Mitchell to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to serve on the Hawai‘i Workforce Development Council.

SUNSHINE TOPPING

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Sunshine Topping from the Department of Human Resources Development, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Budget and Finance, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and twelve individuals. Two individuals submitted comments regarding the nomination of Ms. Topping.

Ms. Topping obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and was a Master's degree candidate at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa School of Social Work. She currently serves as the Director of Recruitment for Hawaiian Airlines where she is responsible for all aspects of recruitment, compensation, and workforce development for four thousand five hundred employees. Her role as Director of Recruitment requires her to plan and implement short and long term recruitment strategies to help Hawaiian Airlines meet its staffing needs.

Ms. Topping previously served as the Director of Human Resources Development where she was responsible for managing all human resources functions for the State's workforce, including managing a staff of nearly one hundred employees, extensive lobbying with the Legislature, monitoring new human resource initiatives, and planning workforce development initiatives. She also previously served as the Director of Human Resources at Sandwich Isles Communications, Director of Human Resources and Ethics for NovaSol, and Human Resources Manager at The Boeing Company. She has also been involved in the community as a member of the Executive Board of the Hawaiian Way Fund, member of Hui Makua o Kawaiaha‘o, the Honolulu Advertiser Community Advisory Board, and member of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council's Workforce Development Team.

Testimony in support of Ms. Topping's nomination indicates that Ms. Topping continues to showcase her talent and professional background as a valuable contributor to organizations in Hawaii. She is well versed in the complex issues that face Hawaii's workforce and will provide a wealth of experience and insight to support Hawaii's workforce to spur economic development.

CONSTANCE MITCHELL

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Constance Mitchell from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Ms. Mitchell earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also matriculated in the Doctoral of Nursing Practice program for two years at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Human Services, Inc., where she oversees the community-based, homeless services non-profit agency with an annual budget exceeding $10,000,000 and over one hundred paid employees. She also manages an array of homeless and homeless prevention services including three service sites serving over five thousand individuals. She also currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene where she teaches courses in the Advanced Practice Nurse graduate program. She previously served as the Director of Nursing of Hawaii State Hospital of the Department of Health and as a Unit Manager for Admissions and Stabilization Units for the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing/Hawaii State Hospital/Adult Mental Health Division.

Ms. Mitchell is a recipient of various grants, recognitions, and awards including the Ho‘okele Award for Non-Profit Leadership, Hawaii Community Foundation PONO Fellowship, and Pacific Business News Cades Schutte Non-Profit Leadership Award, to name a few. She has extensive community service and involvement including serving as the Policy Committee Chairperson for Mental Health America, Board member of the Mental Health Association, member of Partners in Care Continuum of Care for Homeless Services, and member of the Inter-Agency Council on Homelessness, to name a few.

Ms. Mitchell indicated in her written statement that despite her extensive experience as a health professional, her personal work experience has spanned many different business sectors, and she has gained an appreciation for organized labor unions as a state-employed clinical nurse specialist at the Hawaii State Hospital while also serving as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaii. As the Executive Director of the Institute for Human Services, she has gained a deep understanding of the importance of workforce development as an essential part of the solution to homelessness. Testimony in support of her nomination indicates that her rich experience and wealth of knowledge in serving the community will be valuable assets to the Workforce Development Council.

Accordingly, based on the testimony submitted, your Committee finds that Sunshine Topping and Constance Mitchell are exceptionally qualified to serve on the Hawaii Workforce Development Council. The nominees' professional experience and community service will serve the Council and public well.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor 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 Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair