Mike Formby New Executive Director of Pacific Resource Partnership

Pacific Resource Partnership announced that it has appointed Mike Formby as their new Executive Director.

Mike Formby has been appointed the Pacific Resource Partnership’s new Executive Director. PC: Pacific Resource Partnership.

A lawyer by profession, Formby brings 10 years of senior federal, state and county government experience that includes playing a leading role in two major public works projects: Honolulu’s rail transit system and the $700 million statewide harbors modernization plan. Formby served most recently as interim Honolulu City Councilmember representing Council District 4 (Waikīkī and East Honolulu).

“PRP is a natural fit for me. In my new role, I’ll be able to focus on the two things most important to me: advocating for sound public policies and implementing those policies in a way that positively impacts the State of Hawaii and its residents,” said Formby, who starts on June 25. “My work experience aligns perfectly with PRP’s mission to strengthen the economic health of the state and to be a champion for working families.”

In his previous roles as a top state and city transportation official, as acting Executive Director of the Honolulu rail project, and as the chief policy advisor to a member of Congress, Formby has been a strong proponent for projects that grow Hawaiʻi’s economy by developing jobs for the state’s skilled labor force.

“Mike steps into his role at PRP at a critical time. The state is facing a number of challenges and it’ll be up to organizations like PRP to help lead discussions around issues such as affordable housing, the cost of living, homelessness, and education,” said Dale Sakamoto-Yoneda, President of S & M Sakamoto, Inc. and a member of the committee formed to select PRP’s executive director. “These are issues that impact all us. With Mike at the helm, PRP can continue to create and support programs that make life better for residents, especially middle-class residents who want to continue to call Hawaiʻi ‘home.’”

PRP is a unique partnership of the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters and more than 240 of the state’s leading contractors.

Prior to his appointment to the City Council, Formby worked as Chief of Staff for U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in Washington, D.C. He developed and implemented policy and legislative strategies and plans; directed Hanabusa’s constituent services; managed staff in Hanabusa’s Hawaiʻi and Washington, D.C. offices; and oversaw office budgets and operations.

Formby is the former Director of the city Department of Transportation Services, where he led multi-modal transportation planning, traffic engineering and Oʻahu’s transit systems including TheBus and TheHandi-Van. He also oversaw complete streets policies, multi-modal solutions (pedestrian, bike, auto, shared-use), transit-oriented development, smart growth principles, and partnerships with communities and stakeholders.

During his tenure, Formby was co-chair of the city’s Age Friendly Cities initiative and led the city’s bike-share public-private-partnership initiative to implementation. He was a member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors and served as HART’s acting Executive Director from August to November 2016.

Formby served as acting Director of the state Department of Transportation and Deputy Director of the Harbors Division, where he directed the operations, maintenance and capital improvements of 10 commercial harbors on six islands with an annual special-funded budget of $90 to $110 million. He also led the team that oversaw development and implementation of the $700 million Harbors Modernization Plan, revised statewide tariffs to support the issuance of commercial bonds and obtained approval by the State of Hawaiʻi Legislature. While at DOT, he served on the Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority, Aloha Tower Development Authority and chaired Hawaiʻi’s Employer-Union Trust Fund.

As a litigator, Formby developed a specialty in admiralty/maritime, commercial, administrative and contract law. Formby served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force after law school, with an emphasis on procurement. After seven years in the Air Force, Formby worked for a number of Honolulu law firms as a senior trial attorney, including serving as president and managing partner of Frame Formby & O’Kane, LLC before entering government service. Formby also taught as an adjunct instructor at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.