STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1804

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 697, 698

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 697 and 698, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii

G.M. No. 697	DAVID KARL, for a term to expire 06-30-2025; and
G.M. No. 698	KEN HAYASHIDA, for a term to expire 06-30-2025,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by David Karl and Ken Hayashida for service on the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii.

DAVID KARL

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the reappointment of David Karl from the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii.

Upon review of the testimony and his qualifications, your Committee finds that Dr. Karl's status as the Professor of Oceanography at the University's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, a position he has held since 1987, qualifies him to be reappointed to the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, as a member who is a University research faculty member. Your Committee finds that Dr. Karl is a renowned researcher, whose work has won international respect and acclaim. Since being granted tenure at the University of Hawaii in 1982, Dr. Karl has been the principal investigator on more than eighty grants with more than $100,000,000 in funding and is consistently listed as the University's top fifty principal investigators. Your Committee further finds that between seeking funding and managing research projects, Dr. Karl volunteers on various boards, including serving as Co-Director of the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education and Co-Director of Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology. Your Committee therefore recommends that Dr. Karl be reappointed to the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii based on his institutional knowledge and perspective as a renowned researcher at the University of Hawaii, leadership skills, and thorough understanding of the role and responsibilities of a board member.

KEN HAYASHIDA

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the reappointment of Ken Hayashida from the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii and two individuals.

Upon review of the testimony and his qualifications, your Committee finds that Mr. Hayashida's status as the President and Principal Structural Engineer at KAI Hawaii, Inc., a structural engineering firm that he founded in 1995, qualifies him to be reappointed to the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii as a member representing the business sector. Mr. Hayashida is a civil engineer with a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Stanford University. He has thirty-five years of experience in designing highways, bridges, various facilities, and renewable energy projects, including the High Technology Development Corporation Office Facility, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, and University of Hawaii at Manoa's Hawaii Hall Renovation. Under Mr. Hayashida's direction, KAI Hawaii, Inc., which was a one-person business, has become a leading structural engineering firm with more than forty full-time employees, and was awarded NAIOP Hawaii's Engineering Firm of the Year in 2019. Your Committee further notes Mr. Hayashida's commitment to community service, evidenced by his service on various boards and committees, including his current service as a board member for the Engineering Alumni Association of the University of Hawaii. Your Committee believes that Mr. Hayashida's business acumen, extensive experience and knowledge in civil and structural engineering, and commitment to community service will continue to be valuable assets to the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, and therefore recommends his reappointment.

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

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair