State Senate Confirms DHS Director

Members of the State Senate voted on Friday, March 20, 2015, to confirm Rachael Wong as director of the Department of Human Services.  Photo courtesy of Senate Communications.

By Maui Now Staff

Members of the State Senate voted on Friday, March 20, 2015, to confirm Rachael Wong as director of the Department of Human Services. The vote was unanimous.

“Dr. Rachael Wong’s extensive experience, demonstrated leadership abilities and devotion to the well-being of our community qualify her for the position,” said Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D, 13th District), chair of the Senate Human Services and Housing committee. “One of Dr. Wong’s strongest attributes is collaborative leadership, which enables her to make connections and act with compassion and sensibility, which is very much needed to lead a large and complex department with a broad mandate to assist children, youth, our kūpuna, families and vulnerable individuals.”

Wong has served as director of the DHS since she was appointed to the position by Gov. Ige in January 2015. Most recently, she was the vice president and chief operating officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi. Wong has also served as executive director of Kokua Mau and the Hawaiʻi Consortium for Integrative Healthcare.

“I’m just really honored to be serving in this capacity,” said Wong. “I’m appreciative of the governor for nominating me and the Senate for this formal confirmation and this opportunity to work with the amazing team at DHS.”

“Our top priority is moving forward with our plan to streamline what we’re doing with IT, building on the technology that we’ve already put in place with our platforms, investing in our people here, moving quickly with what we’re doing with MedQuest and our social services division, BESSD and our public assistance,” Wong said.