Maui’s mayor has tapped Kate Blystone to head the county’s planning department subject to confirmation by the County Council.

If Blystone gets the job, she’ll replace Kathleen Ross Aoki, who retired from the post on Dec. 31 after losing her home in the August wildfire that destroyed most of Lahaina. Garrett Smith, deputy planning director, has filled in as acting director since Aoki’s departure.

Blystone currently works for the Hawaii Community Foundation as a program officer in the House Maui Initiative, which is focused on Maui’s housing crisis. Prior to that, Blystone was a senior planner in the county’s Planning Department and a project manager for Bowers + Kubota Consulting.

Her other roles included outreach manager for Pipeline Safety Trust, program manager for RE Sources of Sustainable Communities and lecturer in urban planning at Western Washington University.

“Kate’s decades of experience will play an important role in the success of our Planning Department,” Mayor Richard Bissen said in a news release.

Bissen said his administration is moving toward what he called “more community inclusion,” without elaborating on what he meant.

“Collectively, we will find ways to improve our planning policies, especially as we look ahead at rebuilding in fire-damaged areas.”

He did not specify the salary Blystone would earn.

According to a March 2 memo from the Department of Personnel Services, the planning director’s salary at that time was $144,214. The upcoming salary for the next fiscal year was projected at $151,425.

Blystone, who did not respond to an email request for comment, has a master’s degree from Eastern Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University.

The Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will take up Blystone’s confirmation at an upcoming meeting.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.