Big Island man among finalists named for 2026 student appointment to University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents

Hawai‘i Island native and University of Hawai‘i student Eric Pomaikai Gee is one of four finalists for the Candidate Advisory Council for the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents.

If appointed, Gee would fill the student seat for a two-year appointment beginning July 1, which is a volunteer position. The final selection is made by Gov. Josh Green and is subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

“The Candidate Advisory Council members were extremely pleased with the caliber of students applying to serve on the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents,” said the council chair Brigitte Yoshino. “While it was a difficult decision, the CAC members believe any of the four candidates chosen to be finalists will serve the university well and are delighted to submit these names for consideration to the governor and the state senate.”

Other finalists are Jenny Brown, Olivia Frances Chung and Raiyan Rafid. Candidate lists are compiled after a comprehensive review and selection process, which is exclusively merit-based and according to procedures outlined in state statutes and the council’s administrative rules, according to a news release from the University of Hawai‘i.

Click here to read biographies on the finalists.

Born and raised in South Kohala, Gee graduated from Kealakehe High School in 2024 as valedictorian and commencement speaker. He is currently a student in the Honors College at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, pursuing a double major in International Business and Finance with a minor in Political Science.

Gee has been involved in leadership roles since high school. He was appointed by Senate President Ron Kouchi to the Hawaii State Youth Commission and by Mayor Mitch Roth as Inaugural Chairperson of the County of Hawai‘i Youth Commission, where he drafted the founding bylaws and advised county officials on youth policy and budget priorities.

A Villars Institute Fellow since 2022, Eric participated in an international Antarctic expedition to Union Glacier Camp led by Robert Swan in December 2025, selected as the only American on the expedition, speaking to nearly two million students worldwide about climate stewardship.