STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3633

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 561

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 561, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

 

Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission

 

G.M. No. 561

AMBER NAMAKA WHITEHEAD,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee, and finds Amber Namaka Whitehead to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.

 

     Testimony in support of Ms. Whitehead's nomination was submitted by Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, Kohe Malamalama O Kanaloa Protect Kahoolawe Fund, and three individuals.

 

     Ms. Whitehead is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.  She received her Bachelor's degrees in Hawaiian Studies and Botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is presently enrolled in the Department of Botany in a Doctorate program specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology.

 

     Ms. Whitehead is employed by the Kamehameha Schools as an ecologist for lands on Hawaii, Oahu, Molokai, Kauai, and Maui.  In that position she manages the natural resources, stewardship activities and partnerships for over 360,000 acres of land and oversees and is responsible for a budget of over two million dollars annually.  She has been a member of the Protect Kahoolawe Ohana for the past fourteen years and has the responsibility of being an access guide to the island.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair