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UPDATED 3/31/11 6:10 p.m.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Tuesday put his stamp on a new Hawaii State Board of Education, naming eight members and picking its new chairman. The appointments represent a significant step in the governor taking responsibility for Hawaii’s schools.

“I think the people of the state have indicated that they wanted another direction for education,” Abercrombie said. “To have these folks who have made this kind of commitment to the young people, the parents and the taxpayers of this state is something that has filled me with deep gratitude.”

Among the new board’s top priorities: An audit of the department and the board to make sure taxpayer dollars are being put to their most effective use in the Department of Education.

The initiative for an appointed Board of Education gained steam last year after the debacle of Furlough Fridays, which caused students to lose 17 instructional days in the 2009-2010 school year. Voters passed a constitutional amendment to replace the elected board with one appointed by the governor, but for selecting the new board was not in place until March this year.

The chairman of the board will be First Hawaiian Bank Chairman and Chief Executive Don Horner. Other picks include former KGMB news anchor and Kapiolani Medical Center Director of Philanthropy Kim Gennaula, and Keith Amemiya, executive administrator and secretary to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

All nine appointees, a handful of legislators, Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi and the media were on hand for the press conference in the governor’s executive chambers.

It’s the first time a governor has appointed education board members in more than 40 years. None of the current elected members made the cut. Abercrombie said the reason was “it was impossible to choose” just one or two.

The nominees are subject to confirmation by the state Senate. Senate Education Chairwoman Jill Tokuda said that her committee anticipated the appointees and has already scheduled two confirmation hearings for them on Wednesday, April 6 and Friday, April 8. She expects her committee will be able to forward the nominees to the full Senate by the following week.

Horner said that the new board’s first meeting will be held April 26, pending the confirmations.
The appointments are as follows:

Maui: Wesley Lo is the Chief Executive Officer at Maui Memorial Medical Center. He previously worked as the Maui County Finance Director and the Chief Financial Officer of Maui Memorial Medical Center. His children attend Baldwin High School and Pomaikai Elementary. Lo’s wife is a counselor at Maui High School. His appointment is for a three-year term.

Hawaii: Brian DeLima is an Attorney in Private Practice. He is a former Hawai’i County council member. DeLima is a graduate of Hilo High School and in 1972 he served as the first student BOE member. His daughter, who has special needs, attends Hilo Intermediate School. DeLima’s appointment is for a two-year term.

Kauai: Nancy Budd is an Attorney in Private Practice. Budd is a member of the Kauai Planning and Action Alliance Public Education Action Team; she served¹ as Director and President of the Kauai District Parent Teacher Student Association; and is a reading tutor at Wilcox Elementary School. Budd’s daughter graduated from Kaua’i High School. Her appointment is for a one-year term.

O’ahu: Jim Williams is retired Administrator and CEO of the Hawaii Employer-Union Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF). Currently, he is the Vice-chair of Voyager Public Charter School, and previously served as President and CEO of Royal State Learning Foundation; Interim Director and President of the Hawai’i State Teachers Association; and teacher at Kauanakakai Elementary School and Moloka’i High School. Williams’ appointment is for a three-year term.

O’ahu: Charlene Cuaresma is the Associate Director of the Graduate Professional Access Program at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She is also the Community Director of the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training. Cuaresma, a Waipahu High School graduate, is active in many Filipino community initiatives. Cuaresma’s appointment is for a two-year term.

O’ahu: Cheryl Kauhane Lupenui is the Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Oahu. She has served on the boards of Hawai’i Tourism Authority’s Hawaiian Resource Advisory Board; the Center for Asian Pacific American Women; and Aloha United Way. Lupenui’s appointment is for a one-year term.

At-large: Keith Amemiya is the Executive Administrator and Secretary of the Board of Regents at the University of Hawai’i. He is the former Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. Amemiya served on a number of boards including the Honolulu Firefighters Foundation, Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Susannah Wesley Community Center, and The Learning Coalition. His appointment is for a one-year term.

At-large: Kim Gennaula is a Philanthropy Director at Kapiolani Health Foundation. She is a former news anchor and previously worked as Communications Director for Liberty House and Sharper Image. Her two children attend Hokulani Elementary School, and she has been a member of an advisor board to the Superintendent. Gennaula’s appointment is for a two-year term.

At-large: Don Horner is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of First Hawaiian Bank. In February, the governor to fill the vacancy of the at-large position on the board.

House Education Committee Chairman Roy Takumi said the governor’s nominees are diverse and represent extensive experience in public schools — either as graduates of public schools, parents of children enrolled in them or marriage to people who work in them.

“It is clear that the governor tried to strike a balanced approach in terms of perspectives,” said Takumi, whose committee crafted the law outlining board member qualifications. “I think the governor made a good effort in bringing together a good group of people.”

He also said it won’t take long to size up the appointees.

“In the next three to six months, we will see what this board will or will not do,” he said. “We will see fairly quickly whether they are willing to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and really move forward.”

Gennaula said she applied for the board partially because she saw the stars align for positive change in Hawaii schools.

“We have this Race to the Top initiative, we have Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, who I think is doing just a fantastic job, we have the governor’s support, and we have the leadership and resources of Don Horner,” she said.

She did not know until Tuesday night who her fellow nominees were, she said.

“I was impressed with the governor’s ability to find people connected with public schools on a lot of different levels,” she said. “Some of them have wives working in public schools, or they have been on boards to serve the schools before.”

Gennaula said her priorities will be subject to Horner’s guidance.

The chairman-to-be said his top priority is student achievement. In order to address that, he plans to streamline the board’s policymaking and oversight processes and establish an internal audit committee that will ensure taxpayer dollars are being put to their most effective use in the Department of Education. He also hopes to reduce the administrative burden on teachers and principals.

“We need to be working smarter, not harder,” Horner told reporters after the news conference.

He also voiced support for a bill that would develop underutilized school lands to generate more revenue for the department as it faces progressively deeper budget cuts from the state.