Governor Green appointed Ciara Kahahane, currently serving in the Complex Litigation Division of the Dept. of the Attorney General (AG), to be the next First Deputy of the state Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM). Her appointment is subject to approval by CWRM.

For the past year and a half, Kahahane’s work in the AG’s office involved representing the state in several noteworthy cases, including those with legal issues of statewide importance. She continues to coordinate, on behalf of the Attorney General, the comprehensive review and analysis of the Lahaina wildfires of August 2023.

Kahahane previously worked in the Public Safety, Hawaiian Homelands and Housing Division of the Department of the Attorney General, where she provided litigation support as well as advice and counsel to the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) on a wide variety of legal issues. In this role, Kahahane assisted staff with the adoption and amendment of administrative rules, including rules governing the provision of water service by HHFDC.

After graduating from the Kamehameha Schools Maui and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), William S. Richardson School of Law in 2019, she served as a law clerk to Judge Robert J. Faris, the Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawai‘i. In 2016, also at UHM she earned a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian studies.

To complete ongoing work at the AG’s Office, she will not begin her duties at CWRM until October 10. Dean Uyeno who has been serving as Interim First Deputy will continue in that role until then.

In a press release Kahahane said, “I’m grateful and excited to be selected as the CWRM First Deputy. I look forward to learning from the commission’s experienced and dedicated staff as we navigate the complex and sometimes challenging issues related to water in Hawaiʻi. I am committed to supporting CWRM’s mission of protecting and enhancing the benefits of Hawaiʻi’s water resources for present and future generations through thoughtful and responsible management.”

 

DLNR Photo