News Release

For Immediate Release
December 11, 2020

BWS Announces Reappointments of Bryan Andaya and Kapua‘ala Sproat to its Board Of Directors

HONOLULU – Bryan Andaya and D. Kapua‘ala Sproat were recently re-appointed to the Board of Water Supply’s (BWS’s) Board of Directors. Andaya is vice president and chief operating officer of L & L Franchise, Inc. and Sproat is a Professor of Law and the Director of both Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law and the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law.

Prior to joining L & L Franchise, Andaya was an attorney specializing in labor and employment law for Honolulu firm Imanaka Kudo & Fujimoto. He also served as a clerk for 3rd Circuit Court Judge Riki May Amano in Hilo, and later for Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Ramil.

A native of Hilo, Andaya earned his undergraduate degree from Portland State University and his Juris Doctor from DePaul University. An active member of the community, Andaya serves on numerous community boards including Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawaii Restaurant Association, and the Filipino Community Center. He is also the Oahu field representative for Senator Brian Schatz.

Sproat designs and teaches courses for Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law and the Environmental Law Program. She also manages the Law School’s only live-client clinic that address both Native Hawaiian and environmental issues while also providing direct legal services to rural, neighbor island communities.

Sproat is also Counsel for Earthjustice, where she has developed and litigated state and federal cases under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, State Water Code, and other laws.

She received her Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law. She has published law reviews and book chapters on a range of issues and is one of the editors for the forthcoming book Native Hawaiian Law: A Treatise (the second revised edition of the Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook). She has also presented at conferences focused on law and policies regarding water and the environment.

Andaya is currently the chair of the BWS board of directors and Sproat is vice chair. Both join current Board members in overseeing and determining the policies and direction of the BWS. Those Board members are:

Ray C. Soon – Board member since October 2017, Soon retired from public service in 2016 as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.

Max J. Sword – Board member since October 2018, Sword is the owner of Max J. Sword & Associates, LLC, a firm specializing in government and community affairs. 

Ross S. Sasamura – Ex-Officio Member and currently director and chief engineer, City and County of Honolulu Department of Facility Maintenance.

Jade T. Butay – Ex-Officio Member and currently, director, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation.

About the Board of Water Supply

The Board of Water Supply (BWS), a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, manages Oahu’s municipal water resources and distribution system.  As the largest water utility in the State, the BWS serves approximately one million customers on Oahu.  The BWS embraces its mission of “Water for Life – Ka Wai Ola” – to provide a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply, now and into the future.  Uwē  ka lani, ola ka honua – “When the heavens weep, the earth lives.”  For more information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com, follow @BWSHonolulu or like the BWS’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu.

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Contact:

Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui
Information Officer
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Phone: (808) 748-5319