Governor Green recently announced his appointments to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) and the Stadium Authority.The BLNR comprises seven members: one from each of the four land districts (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, Maui Nui, and Kaua‘i), two at-large members and the chair, who also serves as executive head of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Members are nominated and appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate to serve four-year terms.
The BLNR convenes twice monthly (with limited exceptions) to review and take action on matters including land leases and Conservation District Use Applications. Public testimony is accepted at each meeting.The Governor’s appointees to the BLNR inlcude:
- Denise Iseri-Matsubara — Denise is the executive director of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation, a nonprofit affiliate of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, focused on developing and managing affordable housing for seniors and disadvantaged communities. She previously led the Mayor’s Office of Housing for Honolulu and served as executive director of the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation, where she also sat as a board member. Her career in housing and community development began in 2005 at the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. Denise holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is a Kamehameha Schools alumna who has served on the boards of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association.
- Calvin Young — Calvin serves as a partner at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel with decades of litigation experience. A past president of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association, he has been recognized as one of the state’s leading litigators by Best Lawyers and Chambers USA. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, he also serves as a member of the American Bar Association and the Native Hawaiian Bar Association.
The Stadium Authority consists of eight members appointed by the Governor and requiring Senate confirmation, in addition to the director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism as an ex-officio voting member. The president of the University of Hawai‘i and the superintendent of Education also serve as ex-officio non-voting members.
The Governor’s appointee to the Stadium Authority is:
- Joel Kawachi — Joel serves as the Athletic Director at Moanalua High School, where he has led the program for more than two decades. His leadership spans athletic facility operations, capital improvement planning, Title IX compliance, and youth development through education-based sports. As a resident of the stadium area since 2001, Mr. Kawachi has a personal connection to the community and firsthand familiarity with the impact of Aloha Stadium on surrounding neighborhoods. He has hosted multiple athletic events at the stadium, coordinated statewide tournament logistics and has worked closely with the Department of Education, University of Hawai‘i and the Oʻahu Interscholastic Association to ensure equitable and efficient facility use.