Who did Gov. Ige appoint to the State of Hawai’i Board of Education?

Gov. David Ige appointed N. Makana McClellan, Lauren Moriarty and Ken Kuraya to the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education. The governor also reappointed Damien “Kaimana” Barcarse and Bruce Voss to the nine-member, voluntary board, with all appointments subject to Senate approval.

“The highly skilled people I’ve selected to be on the Board of Education bring a range of experiences that will contribute to a public education system that delivers results for the people of Hawaiʻi,” Gov. Ige said. “They will continue to ensure that our public schools are places where students can unleash their curiosity and creativity and prepare to help us meet the state’s goals in renewable energy, locally grown food production, environmental stewardship and more.”

Barcarse is being reappointed to the Hawaiʻi County seat for a three-year term that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2025. He currently serves as catalytic initiatives for Kamehameha Schools and is also a DJ and program producer of Alana I Kai Hikina, a radio show which broadcasts entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi on KWXX-FM. He has more than 18 years of experience in education, including formerly serving as West Hawaiʻi regional director for Kamehameha Schools, a Hawaiian cultural-based education department director for Kamehameha Schools, an ʻāina-based education department coordinator for Kamehameha Schools, and staff lecturer of ethno-zoology and voyaging and navigation for Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

His experience also includes serving as the director of the exploration sciences and voyaging department at ʻAha Pūnana Leo, apprentice navigator on the Hōkūleʻa, captain on Hōkūalakaʻi, member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Barcarse has developed and instructed culture-based photography and video production classes; produced international and multi-lingual radio programming; and worked to develop the Indigenous Rights Radio program with the non-profit organization Cultural Survival. He received a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies and a M.A. in Hawaiian Language and Literature from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Voss is being reappointed to an at-large seat for a three-year term that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2025. He is a partner with the law firm of Bays Lung Rose & Holma, specializing in business, real estate and employment law and litigation. He previously worked as a news reporter for Pacific Business News and KHON2 News. He is a graduate of Kalaheo High School and the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi.

McClellan is being appointed to the City and County of Honolulu seat for a three-year term that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2025. She will fill the position currently held by Kenneth Uemura.

McClellan is the director of business development and community relations at Shriners Children’s Hawaiʻi. Prior to this, she served as the public information officer at The Queen’s Health Systems and was a member of the community building team at Communications Pacific (now known as CommPac). She is a dedicated community volunteer, having served in leadership roles within various organizations like the Aloha Festivals and the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. She serves on the Board of Directors for MasterCare, and is a coveted communications and political strategist. A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools – Kapālama, McClellan earned a B.A. in journalism from Hawaiʻi Pacific University and is a mother to three young keiki, two of whom are enrolled in a Department of Education school.

Moriarty is being appointed to complete Lyla Berg’s three-year term in a City and County of Honolulu seat. The term ends June 30, 2024. Berg declined to continue in the position following the current Legislative Session. Berg will serve until May 5; and Moriarty will start May 6.

Moriarty is a former US Ambassador, career diplomat and Dean of Academics at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She lived and worked for 12 years in East and Southeast Asia, seven years in South Asia, and on multiple occasions in Washington, DC. Moriarty served on the board of the International School of Beijing and has worked with non-profits, including schools and youth organizations in Taiwan, Bangladesh and Hawaiʻi.

She earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Hawaiʻi, an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and an M.A. in Teaching from Chaminade University. She was the first US Ambassador of Native Hawaiian ancestry.

Kuraya is being appointed to complete the three-year term of Catherine Payne’s at-large seat, which ends on June 30, 2024. Payne declined to continue in the position following the current legislative session. Payne will serve until June 30; and Kuraya will start July 1, 2022.

Kuraya is an educator who served for 40 years in various roles within the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) from the classroom to the administration. He has extensive experience in budgeting and expenditures, having planned and implemented processes and procedures to allocate and monitor more than $1.8 billion to schools, complexes, districts and offices within HIDOE. Kuraya earned a B.A. from Hawaiʻi Pacific University in Western History and Eastern Political Science and received a Secondary School Teacher Certificate and School Administrator Certification from the University of Hawaiʻi.

“’A ‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia – “No task is too big when done together by all,” Kuraya said.