OHA Board appoints Interim Chief Executive Officer

OHA Board appoints Interim Chief Executive Officer

By Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The OHA Board has appointed OHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Hussey, Ed.D., as the agency’s interim chief executive officer (CEO) until a new CEO is hired. The Board of Trustees voted on the new appointment at a meeting on June 20, 2019.

Sylvia Hussey Dr. Hussey begin as interim CEO on July 1, following the completion of the contract for former OHA CEO Kamana‘opono Crabbe. The Board had already authorized the procurement of a professional consultant to assist in an executive search and recruitment of a new CEO.

“I thank my fellow Board members for coming together to timely appoint an interim CEO to ensure that our services to our community continue uninterrupted as we search for a new CEO,” said OHA Chair Colette Machado. “OHA is in the middle of a critical period as we look to improve how we serve our beneficiaries. We have initiated a number of substantial changes to the agency, including the development of a new Strategic Plan and a series of new internal governance and financial policies. Sylvia has played a key role in these projects and her familiarity with the agency’s operations will help provide a smooth transition between CEOs.”

Dr. Hussey was hired as OHA’s chief operating officer (COO) in November 2018. She came to the agency with more than 30 years of experience in education administration, policy development and implementation, finance, operations, and information technology. She served in leadership positions at various institutions throughout the state, most recently as the executive director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council and previously was with Kamehameha Schools for more than a decade where she was the vice president of administration.

An internal transition plan has been implemented to re-assign administrative responsibilities, including COO duties, to other staff to assist with operations until the Board appoints a new CEO.