The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board voted unanimously to offer CEO and Executive Director Lori Kahikina a minimum three-year contract to continue as the leader of the rail project.
The board still has to come up with the terms of the contract and Kahikina has to accept it.
Her current contract will expire at the end of the year.
Board member Anthony Aalto supported Kahikina but was concerned about staff retention and burnout.
"I don't think that's an unreasonable concern," Aalto said. "We need a team. No matter how hard you work, you cannot carry this project just on your own back."
"And my concern ... certainly my biggest concern is the need to have a team that will stick with us going through all the way to the end," he added.
HART Chair Colleen Hanabusa recused herself from the vote.
This comes after public clashes between Kahikina and the HART board over the departure of project manager Nate Meddings.
That resulted in a city investigation into whether the board was bullying and harassing Kahikina.
The HART Board Human Resource Committee will determine the specific terms, conditions and full duration of Kahikina’s future contract.
