Christy Chung is MEO’s new Chief Operating Officer

Christy Chung has joined Maui Economic Opportunity as Chief Operating Officer. Her job is to manage, coordinate and support MEO’s day-to-day operations and more than 30 programs in the agency’s five departments and offices in Hāna and on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. She also is overseeing facilities and ensuring contract compliance.

Currently, Chung holds the third highest leadership position in MEO behind CEO Debbie Cabebe and Executive Director Maggie Batangan.

Across her career, Chung has led complex projects, coordinated multidisciplinary teams and navigated regulatory and interagency processes on Maui and the Mainland. Prior to joining MEO, she was employed by the County of Maui Department of Public Works, where she oversaw infrastructure projects, supported grant-funded projects and worked on wildfire debris removal in collaboration with federal and state agencies. 

Born and raised on Maui, Chung holds a Master of Landscape Architecture in Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

Chung succeeds Gay Sibonga, who has taken the position of Chief Programs Officer. The position includes managing MEO’s largest department by programs, Community Services, which offers housing, utilities and wildfire relief. Community Services also operates the BEST Program that assists recently released inmates, Enlace Hispano that offers services for the Spanish-speaking community, and supports kupuna through the Maui County Planning & Coordinating Council Coordinator position.

Sibonga joined MEO as COO in 2017 after a long career with Macy’s Hawaiʻi. She will be retiring in December with nine years at MEO.