OHA Unveils New Executive Team

Dr. Kamana’opono Crabbe, chief executive officer at OHA. Photo by Francine Murray

By Sonia Isotov

Kamana’opono Crabbe, the new chief executive officer at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has officially announced his senior executive team, which includes two new faces and a couple of promotions from within the organization.

The six-member team is anchored by former OHA controller Aedward Los Banos, who has been elevated to chief operating officer.

To assist him:

• Hawley Alamodin will retain her existing duties as chief financial officer & director of resource management. The 36-year-old Alamodin was initially appointed to the position in March 2011, when she was promoted from OHA controller.

• Breann Nu’uhiwa, who is best known for her expertise in federal Indian law as well as Native Hawaiian law and policy, has been named chief advocate. The 32-year-old Nu’uhiwa steps into her new role after spending the past nine months as OHA’s public policy manager.

• Lisa Watkins-Victorino, Ph.D., has been appointed director of research. The 49-year-old Watkins-Victorino comes to OHA from the state Department of Education, where she was an evaluation specialist.

• Kehaunani Abad, Ph.D., has been named to the newly created position of director of community engagement. Prior to joining OHA, the 48-year-old Abad was the director of Kamehameha Publishing.

“The new leadership team has the right combination of skills and experience to assist my efforts to restore OHA’s integrity in the Native Hawaiian community,” said Crabbe, whose appointment to the top job at OHA took effect March 16, 2012. “They all will be passionately involved in nurturing a sense of commitment to empowering Hawaiians and strengthening Hawai’i.”