Kokubun Confirmed, Hearing today for Young and Pablo

By Wendy Osher

The Senate confirmed RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN as the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture at yesterday’s session.  Today, the senate will vote on the confirmation of two former Maui directors to cabinet level posts within the state administration.  The confirmation votes for Kalbert Young as Director of the Department of Budget and Finance, and Frederick Pablo as the Director of the Department of Taxation gets underway at 11:30 a.m.

Below is background information on the Cabinet level appointees.

Kokubun. Image, State of HI.

SEN. RUSSELL KOKUBUN (Ag Chairman) most recently served as the Chairman of the Water and Land Committee of the Hawaii State Senate.   Kokubun, who represents Hilo, Puna and Ka`u, previously served in a variety of leadership positions including as Vice President of the Senate, Chair of the Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, Chair of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force and Chair of the Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Committee.  Kokubun, 62, was appointed to the State Senate in 2000. His prior experience includes being elected to the Hawaii County Council in 1984 and as Chair of the County Council from 1988 to 1992. He graduated from Punahou School, and went on to receive his Bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in 1971.

KALBERT YOUNG (DB&F) most recently served as finance director of Maui County since 2004. He previously worked at the Kapalua Land Co., the state Legislature, and at Kamehameha Schools, where he served in the government relations, budget and financial planning, and internal audit divisions.  Young, 41, was Maui County’s first small-business advocate, working in the Office of Economic Development. He attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in American history and a Master’s degree of business administration.

FRED PABLO (Tax) most recently served as Budget Director for Maui County, where he worked with the legislative branch to pass budget ordinances.  Pablo, 64, previously served as the District Tax Manager of the State of Hawaii for Maui, Lanai and Molokai; Tax Attache for the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Paris and Bonn, Germany.  Pablo is a graduate of St. Louis High School, a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Hawaii, and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from UH-Manoa.