Kurren tapped
to head HDS
Hawaii Dental Service has named Faye Watanabe Kurren, former president of Tesoro Hawaii Corp., as its new president and chief executive officer.
The appointment takes effect Sept. 3.
The nonprofit had been searching for a new chief executive since May, when current president and CEO Jonathon Won announced he would be leaving the 567,000-member company to pursue his own business interests. Won was appointed to the position in 2000.
Kurren said she's looking forward to starting her new job, and has no plans for any major changes for the company.
"I'm not in the job yet and I'm not from the dental industry," she said. "At this point I need to sit down with the board and see what we've got, so there is nothing specific at this time. It would be premature," she said.
Chair of the HDS board Dr. Jay Kanegawa said this is not the first time the organization has selected a CEO from outside the industry.
"Some of our other CEO's haven't been from the dental world. We do that every once in a while," he said.
Kanegawa said the board was impressed with Kurren's background, especially her involvement in the non-profit community.
"She has demonstrated she can lead a company but also that she is a leader in the community. We need someone who has a genuine concern for what our mission is. We thought she was a great fit," he said.
Kurren serves on numerous local boards including the University of Hawaii Foundation, the Girl Scout Council of Hawaii, the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council and Waikiki Aquarium.
