What's Being Discussed

The Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) Board of Directors is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The meeting is hybrid — available online via Zoom, by phone, or in person at the State Office Tower in Honolulu.

The main topic on the agenda is forming a small working group to examine issues related to the ADC's top leadership position. Specifically, the Board will consider creating an Investigative Permitted Interaction Group (PIG) — a small subgroup of 2 to 5 board members — to study and make recommendations on:

• Updating the Executive Director job description to set clear performance and compliance expectations
• Addressing high staff turnover and improving workplace culture and retention
• Accountability standards for financial and procurement decisions made by executive leadership
• Developing a framework for recruiting and selecting a new Executive Director

Decisions Expected

The Board is expected to vote on whether to officially establish this investigative working group. If approved, the group would conduct research and return recommendations to the full Board — it would not make final decisions on its own.

Who Should Pay Attention

• ADC employees and staff, as the meeting directly addresses workplace stability and leadership
• Hawaii's agricultural community, since ADC supports agribusiness development statewide
• Taxpayers and government accountability advocates interested in how state agencies manage executive hiring and oversight
• Anyone interested in participating — the public may testify for up to two minutes per agenda item, online, by phone, or in person