Kamehameha Schools is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on its five-member board of trustees that controls the assets of one of the largest charitable trusts in the United States.

The new trustee will replace Robert Nobriga, CEO of the Tradewind Group of companies, whose five-year term expired June 30.  

Trustees earn up to $186,000 a year and are responsible for managing the school’s $15 billion endowment. They are also tasked with carrying out the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a member of the Hawaiian royal family who left her estate to support the creation of a school for Hawaiʻi’s children.

Candidates need to possess experience in business administration, finance, investment and strategic planning.

According to a recruitment website, the “optimal candidate” should have a track record of success in business and finance and have received formal education. They should also demonstrate the following Hawaiian values:

“Pono (to be moral and proper), ʻimi ʻike (to seek knowledge), laulima (to work cooperatively), lokomaikaʻi (to share), naʻau pono (to possess a deep sense of justice), mālama (to care for each other), and haʻahaʻa (to be humble).”

Applicants should also possess integrity and good character, the ability to fulfill fiduciary responsibilities, and respect from the community.

The search is being run by the firm Inkinen Executive Search. Applications are due Sept. 1.

The last search process that ended with the selection of Michelle Kaʻuhane in March 2023 took about seven months after a screening committee was selected in August 2022.

How Does The Replacement Process Work?

When there’s an anticipated vacancy on the board of trustees, a state probate court appoints a seven-member committee to evaluate applications for a replacement trustee.

That screening committee whittles down the applicant pool to a list of three finalists. The names of the finalists are made public and a public comment period begins.

A probate court judge will ultimately select the new trustee from the three finalists.

This will be the first selection process under a new set of rules that was finalized last year.

This time around, the court is making the cover letters of screening committee members public. It has also instructed Kamehameha to post court documents on its website to make those easier for the public to access.

The court has also directed the screening committee to seek information from past screening committee members, former court appointed special masters, former Kamehameha trustees and alumni, as well as the current Kamehameha CEO and other Native Hawaiian organizations.

There was a push last year to limit members of the screening committee to Kamehameha schools alumni. But the court declined to implement that provision. It also wouldn’t allow sitting trustees and the current CEO to be on the screening committee.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s will “does not provide for individuals employed by Kamehameha Schools to select successor trustees when a vacancy arises,” First Circuit Judge Jeannette Castagnetti wrote earlier this year.

The will actually leaves selection up to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. But the court’s justices have declined to participate in the process since the late 1990s when issues of fiscal mismanagement on the part of the trustees at the time came to light.

The current Supreme Court justices have all written letters also declining to participate in trustee selection.

The current selection process, with some minor revisions, has been in place since 2000.

Who’s On The Screening Committee?

The screening committee includes five men and two women. Three of the members note in their resumes and cover letters that they are Kamehameha alumni or are beneficiaries of the trust. All but one of the seven members, DreanaLee Kalili, served on the last screening committee in 2022.

The members are:

Michael Rawlins: A 1963 graduate of Kamehameha and president of Hana Enterprises, a federal contractor working in security services, information technology and facilities management.

Kathleen Thurston: Graduated from Kamehameha in 1975 and is a retired construction executive. She previously served on the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents and the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

Edwin “Skip” Vincent: A retired airman from the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard and founder of the philanthropic nonprofit Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation.

Jason Fujimoto: Has been CEO of HPM Building Supply since 2019. Both his children attend Kamehameha, and he has served on three trustee screening committees.

Robin Campaniano: A member of the governor’s climate advisory team. He’s also a former insurance commissioner and retired CEO of AIG Hawaii Insurance Co.

DreanaLee Kalili: She is deputy director for the state’s harbor division under the Department of Transportation. She is also a Kamehameha alumna.

Wayne Hamano: A retired corporate banking officer with the Bank of Hawaiʻi and former board chair of the YMCA of Honolulu.