News Release

For Immediate Release
October 12, 2017

Honolulu Board of Water Supply Welcomes Ray C. Soon to its Board of Directors

HONOLULU – Ray C. Soon was appointed yesterday to the Board of Water Supply’s (BWS’s) Board of Directors. Soon retired from public service last year as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.

In that capacity, he focused on issues pertinent to land use planning and the physical assets of the City, in particular those focused on Clean Water and Natural Land acquisitions, evaluating development proposals to the City, park use and expansion, and the protection of water resources.

Prior to that position, Soon worked in both the private and public sector.  He has previously served as Director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Vice President of Community Relations at Kamehameha Schools, and helped to found and manage the consulting firm Solutions Pacific.

Soon earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and a Masters of City Planning from Harvard University.  Other board and commission memberships, past and present, include positions with the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (under President Bill Clinton), Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, the Native Hawaiian Water Rights Task Force, the Queen Liliuokalani Children Center, Ho‘okako‘o Charter School, Historic Hawaii Foundation, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Soon joins current Board members in overseeing and determining the policies and direction of the BWS. Those Board members are:

• Bryan P. Andaya – Board Chair and Member since September 2015, Andaya is vice president and chief operating officer of L&L Franchise, Inc.
• Kapua‘ala Sproat – Vice Chair and Member since May 2015, Sproat is associate professor and environmental law clinic director at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law and counsel for Earthjustice.
• David C. Hulihee – Member since September 2013, Hulihee is president and chairman of Royal Contracting Company Limited.
• Kay C. Matsui – Member since September 2016 and chief executive officer marketing director for World Financial Group, a Transamerica Financial Company, as well as Branch Office Manager for Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc., a Certified Educator with Heartland Institute of Financial Education, and is licensed in life and health insurance, securities, and real estate sales.
• Ross S. Sasamura – Ex-Officio Member and currently director and chief engineer, City and County of Honolulu Department of Facility Maintenance.
• Ford N. Fuchigami – Ex-Officio Member and currently director, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation.

Soon fills the Board vacancy left by Adam C. Wong, founder of ACW Ventures, a diversified investment firm that focuses on local private equity and real estate opportunities.  Wong’s term ended in June 2017.  The BWS extends its appreciation to Wong for his service to the Board and the community.

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.

###

---

Contact:

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