What's Being Discussed
Two OHA committees — Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment (BAE) and Budget and Finance (BF) — are holding a joint meeting focused entirely on hiring a new permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO), also known as Ka Pouhana, for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The salary, compensation, and employment terms for the CEO position
An update on the executive search, including how many people have applied
An overview of the interview process, which will use behavior-based questions to evaluate candidates
A private (executive session) review of the most qualified candidates, their competencies, and a proposed ranking tool — this portion will be closed to the public to protect candidate privacy

Decisions Expected

A vote to approve the interview questions and candidate evaluation tool
A vote to select a shortlist of candidates who will be invited for an initial interview
Approval of meeting minutes from a previous joint session held on October 30, 2024

Who Should Pay Attention

Native Hawaiian beneficiaries of OHA programs, since the CEO leads the agency that serves them
Community members interested in OHA's leadership direction and accountability
Anyone who applied for the CEO position

The public may attend in person at 560 N. Nimitz Hwy., Honolulu, watch the livestream at oha.org/livestream, or call in at (213) 338-8477 (Webinar ID: 973 0133 8802). Oral testimony is limited to five minutes per person.