StarBulletin.com

UH regent hopefuls named


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POSTED: Sunday, February 28, 2010

Candidates forwarded to Gov. Linda Lingle for nomination to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents include a UH football player, a member of the UH presidential search advisory committee and a current regent seeking re-nomination.

The Regents Candidate Advisory Council forwarded seven names for three vacancies on the board that sets policy for the 10-campus UH system.

The council is also seeking applications and nominations for a Big Island vacancy created by the resignation of regent Harvey Tajiri.

The terms of Maui regent James Haynes II, Honolulu regent Chuck Gee and student regent Grant Teichman expire this year.

The council screened candidates for the positions and forwarded the names of accountant Terri Fujii and Gee, a former Travel Industry Management School dean, for the Honolulu seat.

Fujii was a member of the advisory committee that helped choose M.R.C. Greenwood to become UH president. Gee is seeking re-nomination to the board.

Graphic artist Saedene Ota and former Silicon Valley businessman Ronald Montgomery are the candidates for the Maui seat; and UH wide receiver Jett Jasper, sociology Ph.D. candidate Hannah Miyamoto and nursing and business master's student Matthew Williams are candidates for the student regent seat.

The names were forwarded to the governor Wednesday. The governor has 60 days to forward nominations to the state Senate for confirmation.

Roy Takeyama, chairman of the advisory council, said nominations and applications will be taken until March 15 to fill the Big Island vacancy.

The hope is to send the governor a list of candidates for that vacancy by mid-April to allow the nomination to be confirmed by the Senate before the Legislature adjourns, he said.