Governor Josh Green announced appointments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Campaign Spending Commission and Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission. Appointments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission are subject to confirmation by the Hawaiʻi State Senate.

Hawaiian Homes Commission

Kali Watson – Chair (reappointment)
Governor Green reappointed Kali Watson as chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission. Watson, who also serves as director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, previously led the department from 1995 to 1998 and returned to the role in 2023. His tenure has focused on accelerating homestead development and expanding residential, agricultural and pastoral lease opportunities for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.

Kanoa Alapai (appointment)
Alapai has nearly 20 years of experience in land stewardship, property management and agricultural operations. As senior land operations manager for Kamehameha Schools, he oversees approximately 175,000 acres across West Hawaiʻi. He previously managed Waikiʻi Ranch and serves on the boards of the Paniolo Preservation Society and Nā ʻŌiwi ʻO Puʻuanahulu.

Gabe Amey (appointment)
Amey is the founder and executive director of RiseHI Foundation and launched Our Kūpuna, which has supported more than 600 kūpuna across five islands. He also brings more than two decades of business and lending experience, including helping local families pursue homeownership. Amey is an Omidyar Fellow and a graduate of St. Louis School and Menlo College.

Mike Kaleikini (reappointment)
Kaleikini has more than 40 years of experience in power generation, including six years in the U.S. Navy and more than 35 years with Puna Geothermal Venture. He currently works in business development and serves with several Hawaiʻi Island business and community organizations.

Campaign Spending Commission

Wesley M. Bogdan (appointment) 
Bogdan brings more than 30 years of legal experience, including service in private practice, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Offices of the Attorney General and Public Defender, as legal counsel to two CNMI governors and as an associate judge of the CNMI Superior Court from 2017 to 2023. He currently works as a legal consultant, mediator and international football integrity officer.

Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission

Dr. Robert Hong (reappointment)
Governor Green reappointed Dr. Robert Hong to the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission, where he has served since 2022. A Honolulu native and Kalani High School graduate, Hong is a cardiologist and professor emeritus at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine. During his career, he established Hawaiʻi’s first accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship and served in several senior clinical, educational and administrative positions at JABSOM and The Queen’s Medical Center. Hong has served on the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission since 2022.

Laura Valenzuela (appointment)
Valenzuela brings more than 45 years of residential property management experience and currently manages affordable housing on Maui. A certified hospice aide and longtime community advocate, she is committed to serving with integrity, fairness and transparency.