Mayor Bissen appoints former county planner Kate Blystone as new Planning director

Mayor Richard Bissen has appointed former senior County of Maui planner Kate Blystone as the new director of the Department of Planning.

Blystone has more than 20 years of experience as a land planner and community engagement professional in the public, private, nonprofit and education planning sectors.

Appointments of department directors require Maui County Council review and approval; Blystone’s confirmation will be considered at an upcoming meeting of the council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee.

“Kate’s decades of experience will play an important role in the success of our Planning Department,” Mayor Bissen said. “I’m eager to have her join my administration as we move toward more community inclusion. Collectively, we will find ways to improve our planning policies, especially as we look ahead at rebuilding in fire-damaged areas. Mahalo to Maui County council members for considering this key appointment.”

Blystone most recently served as a program officer with Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s House Maui Initiative. A Senior Planner V with the County of Maui for four years, Blystone also has worked as a project manager for Bowers + Kubota Consulting, an outreach manager for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a program director for RE Sources of Sustainable Communities and as a lecturer in Urban Planning at Western Washington University.

In 2012 she completed a Master of Urban & Regional Planning degree at Eastern Washington University with an emphasis in small town planning. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in environmental studies from Western Washington University.