Jayson Watts elected as new chair of Hawai‘i Agribusiness Development Corp.

The Hawai‘i Agribusiness Development Corp. Board of Directors has elected Maui resident Jayson Watts as its new chair, signaling a renewed commitment to strategic leadership, critical infrastructure investment and long-term land stewardship.

Watts, representing Maui County on the board, serves as director of environmental health and safety at Mahi Pono. Gov. Josh Green first appointed him to the board in 2022. He recently began a second four-year term.

Watts brings a leadership style focused on collaboration, measurable results and delivering for Hawai‘i’s working farmers, ranchers and food producers. He previously served in various government and agricultural policy roles, including special assistant to the director of the Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, senior advisor to two lieutenant governors, assistant sergeant at arms at the Hawai‘i State Senate and staff assistant to the late US Rep. Patsy Mink.

He serves in multiple leadership roles, including secretary of the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, vice chair of the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, board member of the University of Hawai‘i Alumni Association, US Secretary of Commerce appointee to the Hawai‘i Pacific Export Council and member of the Alaska Airlines Inaugural Hawai‘i Community Advisory Board, which serves as a corporate–community sounding board on business initiatives, community investments and the local impacts of the $1.9 billion Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger.

“The ADC is entering one of the most ambitious phases in its history,” said Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau. “With renewed commitments from the executive and legislative branches, this board — under Jayson’s leadership — is positioned to accelerate long-overdue investments in water security, land access and local food production. His commitment to transparency, collaboration and maximizing the expertise of board members will be critical to that success.”

Jason Okuhama, serving on the board as an at-large member, will continue as vice chair. Okuhama is the managing partner of Commercial and Business Lending, a commercial loan broker company established in 2000. The company specializes in loan programs and commercial real estate financing from the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, USDA Rural Development and the US Small Business Administration.

Prior to establishing his company, he was a vice president with Bank of America and was responsible for the government-assisted business lending programs in Hawai‘i and Pacific territories. Okuhama previously served on the board of directors for the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority and Aloha Tower Development Corp.

The board also welcomed David Hinazumi as its newest member representing Kaua‘i County. Hinazumi is a senior vice president at Grove Farm Co. Inc., a land management and development company. He started at Grove Farm in 2004 and is primarily responsible for managing development projects. He has experience with agricultural leases and infrastructure improvements. Born and raised on Kaua‘i, Hinazumi earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997 and his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 2000. He worked as a deputy public defender for the state of Colorado prior to joining Grove Farm.