STAFF AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Leslie Wilkins

Interim Chair, Director, EDAH Board
President & CEO, Maui Economic Development Board

Leslie Wilkins joined MEDB in 1999 to launch its Women in Technology program and in 2000 she was elected Vice President by MEDB’s Board of Directors. Leslie directs the Women in Technology (WIT) Project which has grown from a Maui pilot to a national demonstration project, funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education and Agriculture. The program serves a statewide constituency of more than 21,000 students, teachers, and industry members each year.

Catherine Awakuni Colón

Treasurer, Director, EDAH Board
President and CEO, Oahu Economic Development Board

Catherine Awakuni Colón is the President and CEO of the Oʻahu Economic Development Board (OEDB), a nonprofit fostering a healthy economy on Oʻahu through the growth, retention and recruitment of businesses that support appropriate jobs for the people of Hawaiʻi.  Before joining OEDB, Catherine provided twenty years of public service to the State of Hawaiʻi in various roles, including the Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Cable Administrator, the Consumer Advocate for public utilities, and the Chief Legal Counsel for the Public Utilities Commission. Catherine holds a B.B.A. (Accounting) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a J.D. from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

Gary Kai

Assistant Treasurer, Director, EDAH Board
Executive Director, Hawaii Business Roundtable

Gary Kai has been the Executive Director of the Hawaii Business Roundtable since July, 2009. He has an extensive background in the financial services industry with over 30 years of experience. Gary was a Senior Vice President and General Manager with HomeStreet Bank Hawaii. He was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer of Finance Factors, Ltd., and served as Senior Vice President of First Hawaiian Bank in Honolulu. Gary holds an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Harvard University and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Hawaii. He is a Certified Mortgage Banker and has the distinction of being the first person in the state of Hawaii to receive the designation. He currently serves on the Boards of the Hawaii Home Ownership Center, Move Oahu Forward, Joint Venture Education Forum, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, the Hawaii P-20 Council and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Military Affairs Council (MAC) Executive Committee. In 2011, Gary was appointed to the U. S. Department of Labor Advisory Committee on Veteran’s Employment, Training and Employer Outreach. He has served on a number of Boards including President of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii, Chairman of the Diamond Theatre, President of the Hawaii DARE Board of Governors, President of Homeless Solutions, Chairman of the Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corporation, the Palama Settlement Board of Trustees and the Aha Punana Leo.

Shawn Uehira

Secretary, Director, EDAH Board
Energy Contract Manager, Hawaiian Electric Company

Shawn Uehira is an Energy Contract Manager in Renewable Acquisition Division at the Hawaiian Electric Company. Prior to joining Hawaiian Electric, she was a Project Coordinator for SSFM International, and a Business Associate at the Oahu Economic Development Board. For the past several years, Shawn has worked in finance and accounting for numerous Statewide projects including those related to renewable energy, system reliability, and community resources. Shawn is a graduate of Mid-Pacific Institute and holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Pacific University, and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Island Business from Chaminade University.

Nelson Lau

Director, EDAH Board
Retired Managing Partner, KPMG LLP

John Harrisson

Director, EDAH Board

Program Director, Research & Analysis, Maui Economic Development Board

John Harrisson is the Director of Research and Analysis, Maui Economic Development Board. Raised and educated in the United Kingdom, John graduated from St. Paul’s School in London and holds Economics degrees from Oxford University and the University of Sussex. Beginning his career with the Institute of Manpower Studies at the University of Sussex, John was then appointed Research Fellow at Columbia University in New York at the Conservation of Human Resources Department, under Prof. Eli Ginzberg, Economic Adviser to eight U.S. Presidents. John later was appointed Manpower Adviser for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Over his career, John has authored or co-authored more than 40 books and articles in the fields of economics, food-related subjects, and Maui history. A resident of Maui for 25 years, John joined MEDB in his current position in 2008. He played an instrumental role in assembling the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) reports for Maui County over the last two cycles (2010 and 2016) and will continue his role for the forthcoming 2022 CEDS. John has also worked on projects for MEDB relating to Water Resources, Renewable Energy, Healthcare, and Community Engagement. He has held a Hawaii Real Estate license for over 20 years and has overseen MEDB capital improvement projects and leasing during his tenure. John is an Episcopal Eucharistic Minister, Vestry member and former Senior Warden, and a longstanding football (soccer) referee at youth, high school and adult levels.

Sylvia Yuen, Ph.D.

Director, EDAH Board
Executive Director, American Judicature Society

Sylvia Yuen, Executive Director of the American Judicature Society, formerly served as the Executive Director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘I (RCUH), Special Assistant to the University of Hawaii President for food security and safety, and as the Interim Dean and Director of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), the first woman to lead the college. She also served as the Director of the Center on the Family, CTAHR’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, UH-Manoa’s Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, and UH’s Employee Relations Administrator. Sylvia’s graduate work was conducted at the University of Illinois and University of Hawaii, and she received additional training at the University of Chicago (gerontology), University of Michigan (research on Asian/Pacific Islanders), and Harvard University (management). Her publications have targeted both professional and community audiences, and she and her colleagues have won awards for their website, videotape, and other work. She has received more than $22 million in extramural grants and contracts. Sylvia is the recipient of both CTAHR and Maryknoll High School’s Outstanding Alumnus Award, three excellence in teaching awards, commendations from the Hawaii State Legislature for distinguished service to the state, the YWCA Community Leader award, and numerous other honors.

Jaclyn Kaina

Director, EDAH Board

Laurie Yoshida

Director, EDAH Board