Mayor Richard Bissen (third from right) poses for a photo with the members of the newly created Lahaina Advisory Team, including Kim Ball (from left), Kaliko Storer, Laurie DeGama, Rick Nava and Archie Kalepa. Photo courtesy Maui County

The Maui News

Mayor Richard Bissen has formed a five-member advisory team comprised of Lahaina residents who will meet weekly with the mayor to discuss recovery following last month’s wildfire.

The Lahaina Advisory Team aims to ensure the needs and desires of the community are part of discussions and decisions that the county is involved in, the county said in a news release Tuesday.

“As parents, business owners, compassionate community leaders and residents who have long-standing and generational ties to Lahaina, each member offers a perspective that will help guide key discussions as we purposefully and mindfully go forward,” Bissen said. “I’m deeply grateful for their willingness to give their time and their collective voice to help navigate these unprecedented times that truly must involve our community.”

The members of the advisory team are:

Nishita

• Archie Kalepa, a ninth-generation Lahaina resident and renowned big wave surfer who was inducted into the Duke Kahanamoku Foundation’s Hawai’i Waterman Hall of Fame in 2012. Kalepa has been a crew member of the Hokule’a and Hawai’iloa voyaging canoes and leader of Maui Ocean Rescue and Safety.

• Kaliko Storer, area training and cultural adviser for Hyatt Resorts, Puu Kukui Watershed operations supervisor and a Kula Kaiapuni parent.

• Kim Ball, founder and president of Hi-Tech Maui Inc. Ball, whose mother was born and raised on Hawaii island, has been involved with youth sports in Lahaina since 1980 and is a former Lahainaluna head wrestling coach.

• Laurie DeGama, owner of Lahaina business No Ka Oi Deli and president of the Lahainaluna PTSA. For two generations, her family owned and operated Hop Wo store and bakery in Lahaina.

• Rick Nava, U.S. Army veteran as well as president and owner of Lahaina-based MSI Maui. Nava is a former board member and officer of the West Maui Taxpayers Association and the Maui Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Lahaina.

Four of the advisory team members — Kalepa, Storer, DeGama and Nava — are alumni of Lahainaluna High School. Ball, DeGama and Nava lost their homes in the Aug. 8 fire.

Bissen also announced Tuesday that the county plans to create an Office of Recovery to address immediate and long-term disaster recovery needs and serve as the center of coordination for integrated outcomes in community planning; housing; infrastructure; natural, historical and cultural resources; economic resiliency; and health and social service systems.

The mayor selected Josiah Nishita to lead the Office of Recovery. Nishita is currently the deputy director in the Department of Management,

which oversees the county’s 17 departments. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Fox University and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawai’i Shidler College of Business.

“Josiah’s experience, leadership skills and genuine care for our community will serve us well as the new Office of Recovery begins to take shape,” Bissen said. “We are still in the early stage of its formation and once operational, community engagement will be a necessary part of its success. It’s important that our efforts continue to be community led, government supported.”

Nishita Mayor Richard Bissen (third from right) poses for a photo with the members of the newly created Lahaina Advisory Team, including Kim Ball (from left), Kaliko Storer, Laurie DeGama, Rick Nava and Archie Kalepa. Photo courtesy Maui County

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