A few more of Gov. Josh Green’s cabinet-level nominees got the green light from their respective Senate committees on Wednesday.
The Senate Committee on Water and Land approved Scott Glenn to head the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. He was most recently in charge of the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office.
"With climate change, we're going to see growing threats. Already hurricane frequency, flooding rains, coral bleaching, these are all challenges that we're experiencing. And the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is uniquely positioned to help the state address these challenges," he testified.
Glenn has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaiʻi and previously worked as an environmental planning consultant, according to his resume.
Committee Chair Lorraine Inouye of Hawaiʻi Island said the committee received 112 testimonies in support and seven in opposition to his appointment.
The committee also voted to recommend Laura Kaʻakua as the deputy director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
She was most recently the head of the Hawaiʻi Land Trust and previously worked at the Trust for Public Land. Kaʻakua has a law degree from the University of Hawaiʻi, according to her resume.
Green nominated Dawn Chang to lead the department, but the committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.
"I strongly support Laura," Chang said. "This is quite historic, having three Native Hawaiians lead DLNR for the first time."
Also on Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Public Safety recommended Jordan Lowe to lead the newly separated Department of Law Enforcement.
By 2024, the department will be tasked with centralizing enforcement functions within the sheriff's division, and Attorney General and Transportation Departments.
"He has no ego, it's all about collaboration," Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steven Alm testified. "Taking on this role, it's going to take tact and strength. You got to pull these agencies that have their own identities together, and then work with HPD."
"We're looking forward to working with Jordan if he becomes the next director," Alm said.
Lowe was most recently the deputy director for law enforcement at the now-bifurcated Department of Public Safety. Once renamed to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, it will focus on incarcerated individuals.
Adjutant General Kenneth Hara said Loweʻs involvement in separating the departments makes him "the perfect choice."
Lowe has worked at the state Department of Taxation, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service, according to his resume.
The committee also ensured Hara would continue in his post under the Green administration. Hara has been the head of the Department of Defense since December 2019.
Late in the day on Thursday, the Committee on Government Operations approved Keith Regan to lead the Department of Accounting and General Services.
All nominees still need to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Upcoming confirmation hearings include Sharon Hurd to head the Department of Agriculture on March 13; Mark Glick to lead the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office on March 14; and Kali Watson for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on March 16.
