Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 12, 1 December 1995 — Trustees ask Colburn to stay on as administrator [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustees ask Colburn to stay on as administrator

Hire seen as a stabilizing force for OHA operations by Patrick Johnston The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees has voted to hire Linda Colburn as OHA administrator, filling the position vacated by the August dismissal of Dante Carpenter. The decision

was made at an Oct. 26 BOT meeting on Lāna'i. The vote to hire Colburn was 5-0. C h a i r m a n Clayton Hee,

trustees Frenchy DeSoto, Sam Kealoha, Moanike'ala Akaka, and Abraham Aiona supported the hire; trustees Klnau Kamali'i, Billie Beamer, Rowena Akana,

and Moses Keale were absent. OHA Vice Chairman Abraham Aiona said after the vote that "OHA is at a critical juncture" and that Colburn's hire would be a stabilizing force as the organization moves forward. Aiona added that Colburn "is a longtime and loyal employee of OHA and has served with honor and distinction." Colburn has been with OHA since 1989 when she was hired as eeonomie development officer. In

January of this year she was hired as deputy administrator and last month was named acting administrator. A gracluate of Kamehameha Schools, Colburn attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon where she received a degree in business administration and communications. Prior to her work with OHA, Colburn had been extensively involved in eeonomie and social activities throughout the state. These

included work as an eeonomie development specialist for Alu Like, project coordinator for the Hawaiian Business Development Project (a federally funded program designed to promote native American and Hawaiian businesses), and project director for Maililand Transitional Housing Project, a housing project for 0'ahu's homeless. She also held a number of managerial and eonsultant positions at private eompanies. continued page 12

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Since, 1979 Colburn has been sole proprietor of her own mediation services company, and has worked extensively with state agencies and private companies across the state. During her tenure as eeonomie development officer, Colburn helped OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund grow from a $3 million federally funded project to one with over $9 million in federal and OHA trust funds. She also managed and promoted OHA's communitybased eeonomie development activities across the state. Her contract as administrator

will be effective Oct. 26, 1995 through December 31,1 996. "Having a contract that extends to the end of next year helps me to know how to prioritize my efforts," she says adding that her immediate goals will be to stabilize and refine OHA operations, and try to attract talented and committed individuals to fill new and recently vacated positions. Colburn would also like to see the office develop partnerships with private and public organizations, sharing expertise and resources to create new programs and services for Hawaiians.