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GOVERNOR LINGLE ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF THE HAWAI‘I INNOVATION COUNCIL

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For Immediate Release: August 30, 2007


HONOLULU — Governor Linda Lingle today introduced the members of the Hawai‘i Innovation Council prior to the Council’s first meeting at Washington Place.

Established by the Governor through an Executive Order on June 1, 2007, the Hawai‘i Innovation Council will serve as the principal advisory group to her Administration on innovation policy issues, as well as specific measures and actions that the state can take to improve Hawai‘i’s innovation capacity.

“We thank this distinguished group for volunteering to serve on the Hawai‘i Innovation Council,” said Governor Lingle.  “They will help continue our efforts to build an innovation-based economy. The Council will provide a forum for the ideas and additional initiatives we need to enable Hawai‘i to compete globally.”

The Council will coordinate with state, federal, county and private sector organizations, including the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), Department of Education, and Hawai‘i’s colleges and universities to increase the positive economic impact of Hawai‘i’s innovation assets and resources, particularly its people.  In addition, the Council will provide a forum for ideas to enable Hawai‘i to become a global leader in innovation and technology research, development and product creation. 

The Council will also:

Recommend the possible re-orientation of Hawai‘i’s initiatives in response to changing global economic conditions.

  • Analyze and recommend the adoption of innovation “best practices.”
  • Coordinate an assessment of the state’s universities’ and colleges’ abilities to support the transition to an innovation-based economy.
  • Make recommendations that help align higher education with the state’s economic development goals.

The Council will meet quarterly to discuss and assess progress, and make recommendations on Hawai‘i’s innovation policies and programs. The meetings shall be subject to the Sunshine Law, part I of chapter 92, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes.  The Council will be administratively attached to the High Technology Development Corporation, which will serve as the Council’s Secretariat.

“The formation of this Council and the strategic recommendations it will provide is really all about improving the quality of life and standard of living for all of our citizens,” said Ted Liu, director of DBEDT.  “We look forward to the ideas this Council will bring to the table.”

In June, Governor Lingle named three nationally recognized entrepreneurs to serve as co-chairs of the Council.  They are Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com; Ron Higgins, president and CEO of RSHF, LLC; and Jay Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. Members of the community were invited to apply to serve on the Council.

The Hawai‘i Innovation Council members, in alphabetical order, are: 

  • Taft Armandroff, director of W.M. Keck Observatory, the leader of the world’s premier astronomical research community.
  • Kirk Belsby, vice president for endowment, Kamehameha Schools, which is committed to meeting the diverse educational needs of the Hawaiian community, including many new methods of delivery beyond campus-based programs.
  • Marc Benioff (co-chair), chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com, one of Business Week’s Top 100 Most Innovative Companies, named No. 7 on The Wired 40, and selected as a Top Ten Disrupter by Forbes magazine.
  • Dan Berglund, president and CEO of the State Science and Technology Institute, a non-profit that encourages economic growth through the application of science and technology.
  • Richard Brill, M.S., professor of physical science, with 33 years at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa researching and teaching in a wide range of STEM disciplines.
  • Darrel Galera, principal of Moanalua High School, with 25 years as an educator and the current facilitator for “high school redesign” for the Hawai‘i High School Leadership Compact.
  • Debra Guerin-Beresini, CEO, International Venture Fund, doing business in Hawai‘i for 17 years, as well as working with many emerging innovation markets such as Boulder, Colorado and Austin, Texas in the early 1990s.
  • Karl Hess, Ph.D., professor for advanced study emeritus, University of Illinois (Urbana), and board member of the National Science Foundation & Policy Advisors to the U.S. President and Congress since 2006.
  • Ron Higgins (co-chair), CEO of RSHF, LLC, an entrepreneur actively involved in major industry transitions in the areas of networking and communications, and founder, CEO and chairman of Digital Island.
  • Leigh Jerome, Ph.D., director, Institute for Triple Helix Innovation, whose goal is to integrate academia, industry and government to promote new ideas, discoveries and products.
  • Darren Kimura, president and CEO, Sopogy, Inc., a renewable energy company based on solar power, who was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 by the Small Business Administration.
  • Karen Knudsen, chair, Hawai‘i State Board of Education, was re-elected to her fifth term in 2006 and is also external affairs director for the East-West Center.
  • Mark Lindsay, Ph.D., physicist, teacher and organizer of the new FIRST Robotics team at ‘Iolani School.
  • Mark Loughridge, president, Aloha Island, Inc., a video game and software development company dedicated to promoting early learning through multimedia, was also a founder and former co-chairman of Foundation 9 Entertainment (F9E), the largest independent game developer.
  • David McClain, Ph.D., president, University of Hawai‘i, who previously served as vice president for academic affairs, Dean of the UH Mānoa College of Business, and First Hawaiian Bank Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Management.
  • John Rand, STEM program director, Kapi‘olani Community College, 18 years with the University of Hawai‘i and 10 years engineering experience in the private sector.
  • Jay Shidler (co-chair), founder and managing partner, The Shidler Group, known for his ability to identify significant emerging trends and one of Hawai‘i’s most active commercial investors and largest commercial property owners.
  • Patrick Sullivan, founder, chairman and CEO of Oceanit, one of Hawai‘i’s largest and most diversified science and engineering companies focusing on aerospace,  information technology, life sciences, and engineering consulting.

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For more information, contact:

Ted Liu
Director, DBEDT
Phone: (808) 586-2355

Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043

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