Sterling Higa elected chair of Hawai‘i Community Development Authority

The Hawai‘i Community Development Authority members unanimously voted Sterling Higa as chair. Higa has been serving on the board since 2022.

Authority Executive Director Craig Nakamoto congratulated Higa and said staff looks forward to working with him in his new role.

Higa is the co-founder and executive director of Housing Hawai‘i’s Future, a nonprofit creating opportunities for Hawai‘i’s next generation by ending the workforce housing shortage and preparing the next generation of leaders for effective civic engagement. He’s a teacher and writer.  Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Higa is a Roosevelt High School graduate, with a master’s degree in education from Harvard and a doctorate from the University of Hawai‘i.

“We are grateful for Chason Ishii’s service as chair of the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority from 2022 through July 2024,” Nakamoto said. “His professionalism and guidance have been vital as we worked to build better communities from the infrastructure up.”

Ishii is president of Atlas Insurance Agency Inc. A member of the HCDA board since 2019 and as chairman since 2022, Ishii will now serve as vice chair.

Peter Apo was also re-elected as secretary.

The Hawai‘i Community Development Authority is a public entity created by the  Legislature to establish community development plans and programs in community development districts and cooperate with private enterprise and federal, state, and county agencies.  The 17-member board, executive director and staff work to bring the community development plans to fruition. 

“I cannot thank our volunteer board enough for their hard work and dedication,” Nakamoto said.

The authority has a strategic action plan, which was updated June 5.

It includes the Pūlehunui project in Central Maui, as the authority’s community development district.

According to the authority’s plan, it will construct infrastructure that supports developments planned by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Hawaiian Homelands, Judiciary and the Public Safety Department.