Hokoana Confirmed as New Chancellor at UHMC

Lui Hokoana. Image courtesy University of Hawaiʻi.

By Wendy Osher

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents on Thursday confirmed Lui Hokoana to the post of chancellor at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

Hokoana, who is from Maui, worked his way up through the system, directing various programs at UH Maui College before taking on greater responsibility on Oʻahu as vice chancellor for student affairs at the UH West Oʻahu campus.

School administrators say Hokoana helped to secure more than $20 million in county, state, federal, and private funds to support various UH system wide initiatives since he first started his career at UH in 1991.

In an earlier announcement university administrators said these initiatives contributed to “unprecedented enrollment growth, financial aid access, service to underrepresented groups, and overall student success.”

Hokoana was among a list of five finalists considered for the post, the list of which also included: Ricardo Maestas; Jonathon McKee; Michael B. Reiner; and Jeffery Thomas.

He will fill the upcoming vacancy being created by University of Hawai‘i Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto, who plans to retire at the end of this month after 41 years of service.