Attorney takes helm at lands trust program

Lea Ok Soon Hong plans to build funding sources at the state and local levels

Lea Ok Soon Hong is the new director of the Trust for Public Land's Hawaiian Islands Program.

She was appointed Aug. 21.

Hong, an attorney, has been involved for more than a decade in collaborations among local communities, landowners and public agencies to protect Hawaii's natural and cultural resources, according to Reed Holderman, vice president and regional director of the Trust for Public Land.

"For years I have practiced law with resource protection in mind, and I'm now thrilled to shift gears to increase cooperation among communities, landowners and local governments and bring win-win solutions to land conservation in Hawaii," Hong said in a statement.

Hong will also help create new sources of funding at the state and local levels, including mainland funds to assist land protection projects in the islands, according to a release.

Hong was a partner and chairwoman of the Environmental and Cultural Resources Law Practice Group at Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, the fifth-largest law firm in Hawaii.

Hong earned a degree from Rice University in Texas and her law degree from William S. Richardson School of Law at UH-Manoa.

In 2005 she was named Bank of Hawaii's Community Leader of the Year.

She was a 2005 to 2006 Pacific Century Fellow, and a 2004 recipient of the Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year Award from the Hawaii Women Lawyers.

Hong serves or has served on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Historic Hawai'i Foundation, Hawaii Women Lawyers and Tau Dance Theater.

The Trust for Public Land is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization that works nationwide to conserve land for public use.

Founded in San Francisco in 1972, it specializes in conservation real estate. Since 1979 the trust has protected more than 28,000 acres throughout the islands.

For more information, visit www.tpl.org/Hawaii.