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COURTESY GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
Ryan Kanaka‘ole has been appointed acting chair and director of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, effective immediately.
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STAR-ADVERTISER / MARCH 31, 2023
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang is on medical leave, state officials said today.
Gov. Josh Green today announced the appointment of Ryan Kanaka‘ole as acting chair and director of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, effective immediately, while Chair Dawn Chang is on medical leave.
“Jaime and I send our heartfelt aloha to Dawn and her ohana as she recovers,” Green said in a news release. “Dawn has been a dedicated steward of Hawaii’s lands, waters and wildlife and we wish her strength and a full recovery. Details on Chang’s medical condition were not released.
Green said, “DLNR remains in good hands as Ryan Kanaka‘ole steps in as acting chair and director. He brings steady leadership and a deep commitment to malama aina and community. The department’s work of protecting and managing Hawaii’s natural, historical and cultural resources will continue and we look forward to welcoming Dawn back when she is ready.”
State officials said DLNR’s day-to-day operations and public services continue without interruption, and that its leadership, boards and commissions remain fully staffed. Scheduled meetings and hearings for the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Commission on Water Resource Management will continue as planned.
BLNR meetings are held on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, except for November and December, when only one is held on the second Friday.
Chang was present at the Dec. 12 BLNR meeting.
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Kanaka‘ole, who was deputy director of DLNR, most recently served as a deputy attorney general with the Department of the Attorney General, where he represented the Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp. and the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. He also served as deputy attorney general for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands from 2017 to 2023.
He is a member of the Public Land Trust Working Group, which oversees the management and distribution of revenue from ceded lands. He also played a key role in audits for many agencies — from DLNR to the University of Hawaii, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaii Department of Transportation, and Hawaii Energy Office, state officials said.