Gov. David Ige on Wednesday appointed his chief of staff, Mike McCartney, to be director of the Hawaii state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
McCartney takes over for Luis Salaveria who left to join the government affairs group, SanHi, at the Honolulu law firm Ashton & Wriston in December.
McCartney has been Ige's chief of staff since 2014. His career has included 10 years as a state senator, and stints as president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, executive director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, director of the Department of Human Resources Management and president and CEO of PBS Hawaii.
“This department is focused on achieving an innovative, sustainable economy for our state," Ige said in a statement. "Mike’s vision and past experiences make him the ideal person to lead this department and create economic opportunities for the future.”
Ige also appointed Denise Albano as chair of Hawaii Board of Agriculture and reappointed Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser as deputy to the chairperson. Albano has a background in nonprofit work in Hawaii and California, including with The Nature Conservancy here and Feed the Hunger Foundation and YMCA, Richmond District, in San Francisco.
Ford Fuchigami was also reappointed as administrative director in the Office of the Governor. He was previously director of the state Department of Transportation.
Fuchigami's reappointment is not subject to Senate confirmation, but the other three appointments are.