Azevedo to serve as acting administrator at Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense

Hawaiʻi County Public Works Deputy Director Neil Azevedo will serve as acting administrator at Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense beginning Nov. 16.

Azevedo brings years of disaster response and recovery experience into his temporary role. He replaces Acting Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira, who is reaching the end of his 89-day contract.

Oliveira on Aug. 17 became the agency’s acting administrator following retirement of former Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno.

Appointment of a new permanent administrator is expected following candidate interviews next month.

Azevedo’s selection as Civil Defense acting administrator ensures stability and effective leadership at the county’s emergency management agency while the interview and hiring process is completed.

“We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Darryl Oliveira for stepping in when we needed him most,” said Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Bill Brilhante. “He has already created a solid foundation for the administration to build on. I also appreciate Neil Azevedo for stepping into this interim role. His knowledge, experience and strong relationships across the community will help us move forward quickly.”

Oliveira, who previously served from 2013 to 2016 as permanent Civil Defense administrator, oversaw response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Lala, providing critical leadership during his brief return to once again lead the agency.

“I want to thank the administration for welcoming me back to Civil Defense in this temporary role,” said Oliveira. “We are fortunate to have such an effective and collaborative disaster response system in place, as well as leaders who are tried and tested.”

He said Azevedo is someone Civil Defense has relied on most whenever there is an emergency and a need to protect life and property.

“His knowledge of our island’s vulnerabilities and ability to work across sectors to ensure an effective response has been indispensable and will continue to serve us well,” Oliveira said.

Azevedo in 2015 became the county Highways Division chief and has served as deputy director and acting director of Public Works.

He is the Public Works representative to the Civil Defense emergency operations center, working closely with emergency management staff if and when the time comes to ensure safety of residents and protection of public infrastructure and facilities.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside the Civil Defense team, including three administrators, over the past 11 years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to step into this interim leadership role,” said Azevedo. “Our commitment to the community remains the same — to ensure effective communication with the public, work closely with our partners to further recovery efforts and protect the safety of our residents.”

Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda is related to Azevedo, so to avoid potential conflicts of interest he recused himself from the appointment process for the temporary Civil Defense role and selection and recruitment process for the agency’s permanent administrator position.

Azevedo’s appointment as acting Civil Defense chief was approved by Brilhante, who supervises administrative functions of county agencies and is responsible for authorizing the temporary assignment.