Ono nominated for Board of Land and Natural Resources

LIHU‘E — Karen Ono, a real estate leader, has been nominated by Gov. David Ige to serve on the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources, representing Kaua‘i.

According to a Thursday announcement, Ono was one of five nominees sent to the state Senate for confirmation.

Until last year, Ono served as a long-time association executive for the Kaua‘i Board of Realtors, serving as the organization’s chief executive from April 1979 to Dec. 2021. Ono was a Government Affairs Committee member for the association from January 2018 to Dec. 2021, and served as the KBR representative to the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, Kaua‘i Business Council and Rice Street Business Association.

Ono holds an associate’s degree from Kaua‘i Community College.

The BLNR has seven members: one from each district and two at-large members.

Ige also nominated Wesley “Kaiwi” Yoon for a second term as an at-large representative; Doreen Canto, who has represented Maui on the BLNR on an interim basis since July 2021; Aimee Keli‘i Barnes, who has represented the City &County of Honolulu on the BLNR on an interim basis since January 2022; and Riley Smith, who is nominated to represent Hawai‘i Island.

“These five individuals have demonstrated track records of leadership and performance in a variety of fields and settings,” Ige said in a release. “Most importantly, they each have an overarching love and respect for the natural and cultural uniqueness of Hawai‘i.”

Thomas Oi is the current Kaua‘i BLNR member, serving since July 2016.

Oi moved to Kaua‘i in 1970 with his wife and son, and received his associate’s degree from Kaua‘i Community College. He has worked at the state departments of Transportation and Accounting and General Services Land Survey Division, as a licensed surveyor. From 2003 to 2012, he was the district land manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Land Division on Kaua‘i.