Gov. Ige Appoints HDOA Deputy Director

Morris M. Atta is slated to become the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s (HDOA) new deputy director.

Gov. David Ige appointed Atta to the role last week. The appointment will be effective as of Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.

Atta is the current agriculture land program manager/administrator. He oversees the department’s establishment of a land management infrastructure to manage the state’s agricultural land assets effectively, according to a HDOA press release.

Previously, Atta served as head of land acquisition for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, state lands administrator and special projects coordinator for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and research attorney for the Senate Majority Research Office, Hawai‘i State Senate.

He has also worked as an attorney in various capacities in the public and private sectors, the release continued.

Morris is a graduate of Roosevelt High School, Yale University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and New York University School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor.

Atta’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.