BOE Names New Board Members

Four new members of the Hawai’i State Board of Education, including three adult members who were appointed by Governor David Ige and confirmed by the state Senate, are officially on-board.

The members, Maggie Cox, Hubert Minn, Lance Mizumoto, and student member Brennan Lee, were welcomed earlier this week and will each serve a three-year term.

Don Horner, a four-year chair within the board, will step down from his position during the BOE’s July 21 meeting.

“It has been a privilege and honor to serve as the first appointed chair. Over the past four years, we have accomplished many of our objectives and the Department has assembled a highly capable senior management team. As we transition with new members and committee assignments, I believe this is an opportune time to begin an orderly transition of leadership at the board,” Horner noted.

Mizumoto is well experience with financial institutions in Hawai’i, with over 25 years of service under his belt. He is the current president and chief banking officer of Central Pacific Bank. In his role, Mizumoto oversees the organization-wide strategic direction and management of all lines of business, including commercial banking, commercial real estate, retail banking, residential mortgage, and wealth management. In previous roles and capacities, Mizumoto held responsibilities at CPB, First Hawaiian Bank, Bank of Hawai’i, ,and International Savings and Loan. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce Board, as well as Chaminade University’s Board of Regents.

Cox is a retired Department of Education science teacher and principal. This will be her third term with the BOE. Previously, she was a member of the board as part of the negotiation team in dealing with the management of the Hawai’i State Teachers Association and Hawai’i Government Employees Association. Cox graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree.

Minn has a history of service within the City and County of Honolulu, as well as within the state’s education system. Recently, Minn served as the deputy direction at the city’s Department of Enterprises Services, where he was responsible for administering and providing overall direction, coordination, management and control of the functions, and operations of the department. He has also served as the deputy director of the department of customer service. While working for the DOE, Minn was a teacher, mentor and senior advisor. He was a member of the BOE from 1974-1978 and from 1978-1980, where he served in a variety of positions, including chairperson.

Lee is a senior at Mililani High School ,where he is an accomplished student, athlete, and band member. He has represented his school as a member of the Hawai’i State Student Council, is a member of the National Student Leadership Conference, and recently attended a medical summer program at UC Berkeley.

Act 5 was signed into law in 2011, which established a governor-appointed Board that includes a non-voting student member.