The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii and Hawaii Energy are bringing together City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami, Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino and Hawaii County Deputy Director of Research & Development Ron Whitmore to discuss Hawaii's leading role in transitioning to renewable energy and fighting climate change. Governor David Ige will provide opening remarks.

Join us for this panel discussion, moderated by Hawaii Energy Executive Director Brian Kealoha, to hear directly from our state's top leaders on innovation policy, and participate in an interactive discussion on the intersection of energy, efficiency and climate change and the business community's role in these efforts.


Mayor Kirk Caldwell
City and County of Honolulu

Kirk Caldwell was elected the 14th Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu and assumed office on January 2, 2013. He was reelected to a second term in November of 2016. Mayor Caldwell has prioritized investing in Honolulu's core infrastructure, with a focus on roads, sewers, bus and rail transportation, parks and homelessness. He added resiliency as yet another of his priorities, which coincides with the creation of the city's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience.

Mayor Caldwell previously served as Managing Director and Acting Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu and was Majority Leader for the Hawaii State House of Representatives. Prior to entering public service, he was Managing Partner at the law firm of Ashford and Wriston.


Mayor Derek Kawakami
County of Kauai

Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami was elected as mayor of the County of Kauai and Niihau on November 6, 2018. Mayor Kawakami’s government service began as a council member with Kaua‘i County Council from 2008 to 2011, and also served on the Kaua‘i County Council from 2016 to 2018. During his tenure as a Kaua‘i County Council member, Mayor Kawakami chaired the Intergovernmental Relations Committee and vice chaired the Committee of the Whole.

Mayor Kawakami was a gubernatorial appointee to the Hawai‘i State Legislature, representing District 14 from 2011 to 2015. As a State Representative, Mayor Kawakami served as the Assistant Majority Leader; chaired the Committee on Economic Development and Business; vice chaired the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection; and vice chaired the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. 


Mayor Michael Victorino
County of Maui

Mayor Michael Victorino was elected the eighth mayor of the County of Maui in November 2018. In 1998 after the graduation of their youngest son, Mayor Victorino entered public service as a Maui representative on the Hawaii State Board of Education. In 2006, he was elected to the Maui County Council, serving on the Wailuku, Waihee and Waikapu residency seat. 

Mayor Victorino has spent his whole life applying the lessons heʻs learned in his youth -- from the pineapple fields of Lanai, to the fast-food counters of McDonaldʻs, to the Office of the Mayor. He has devoted much of his life to helping Maui County residents, all while supporting his family.


Ron Whitmore
Deputy Director of the Department of Research and Development
County of Hawaii

Ron Whitmore leads the Department of Research and Development's knowledge management, AmeriCorps, energy, sustainability, climate change, and real estate development programs, and he is also deeply involved in disaster recovery and resilience. Ron came to the Department of Research and Development after nine years in the County Planning Department, where he led community and comprehensive planning.  He was the project manager for the Kau Community Development Plan (CDP), which received the 2018 Best Practice Award from the American Planning Association, Hawaii Chapter.

Ron has worked in community development for over 25 years – as a Peace Corps volunteer, a scholar, a nonprofit CEO, a small business owner, and a public servant.  A practitioner-scholar at heart, Ron has a PhD in Community Sustainability from Michigan State University.


Mahalo to our event sponsor!