By Wendy Osher

Mayor-elect Alan Arakawa today announced that he will appoint Wailuku businessperson Keith Regan, 39, to serve as the County of Maui’s new managing director.  “As the former finance director and managing director for the County of Maui, Keith has the unique experience in having overseen the accounting, reporting, and management of the County’s financial activities, as well as most, if not all, of the day-to-day administrative operations of the municipality,” Arakawa said.

Keith Regan. File photo.

“Keith is good with people, accessible, hardworking, innovative, sharp, articulate, and good with issues.   He will be a tremendous asset to not only my administration, but to our entire community as a whole,” Arakawa added.

The managing director is the second-in command at the County of Maui, filling in when the mayor is absent and serving as the administration’s representative on legislation and other matters before the Council.

Under Regan’s leadership in 2003-2006, he led the effort to sponsor the free Maui County Academy Program, modeled after community leadership academy programs. Through seven weeks of instruction, members of the public were educated with firsthand knowledge of the work and services of the various departments of the Maui County government.   Regan also opened up the Mayor’s Lounge on the 9th floor of the County building on a weekly basis to encourage any and all county personnel to join him for brown bag lunch sessions.  Regan used this opportunity to become better acquainted with county personnel and to receive suggestions on how to improve county operations.  Regan was also instrumental in the launch of the monthly county newsletter, The High Street Journal.   At no cost to the County, the newsletter informed county personnel of recent and upcoming programs and projects, as well as highlighted accomplishments of the county’s hardworking employees.   Since leaving his position at the end of Arakawa’s term in office, both the Academy Program and the newsletter came to an end.   Regan vows that both the Academy Program and monthly online newsletter will return to the County.

Selected by Pacific Business News as the Hawaii’s Young Business Person of the Year and Community Leader of the Year in 2001, Regan was a small business owner of a trucking business until his county appointment in 2003, and is currently the President & CEO of Credit Associates of Maui, Ltd.  Under Keith’s leadership and management, the 56-year old family-owned Wailuku business recently expanded its operations and opened an office on Oahu.  He also is part owner of CalendarMaui.com and manages Maui in Motion, a fitness and recreational center in Wailuku Industrial Center.

Active in the community, Regan is a board member of the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation, a member of the State of Hawaii Board of Public Accountancy, Past Distinguished Lieutenant Governor of Kiwanis International Division 22, immediate past president of the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, active member of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, a member and past president of the Maui Young Business Roundtable and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Kahului and Kiwanis Club of the Valley Isle.

Regan is married to Wailuku attorney Lynn Araki-Regan and has a 5-year old son named Riley.