Board of Directors

Colleen Hanabusa is a returning member to the HART Board. She served from July 1, 2015 to October 2016, a portion of that time as the Chair of the HART Board. She was elected by the voters of the First Congressional District to serve in the remainder of the 114th and the 115th Congress of the United States. Colleen also served in the Hawai`i State Legislature, where she was the President of the Senate, the first woman to lead either chamber in Hawai`i; and the first Asian woman to lead any Legislative Chamber in this country. She also served in the 112th and 113th Congresses of the United States. For all the time Colleen was in Congress, she served on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources with specific duties as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaskan Native Affairs and Public Lands. In addition to her other committee assignments, upon her return to the 115th Congress, she served on now Speaker Pelosi’s Leadership Team, a member of the Policy Steering Committee and the Science Space and Technology Committee. Ms. Hanabusa is also an attorney who has earned numerous awards and recognitions. She is now practicing law and has taught a class at the UH Law School and the Political Science Department at UH Manoa. She holds the distinction of being the only member of the Board of Directors of HART that has signed the ceremonial Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA in December 2012. Ms. Hanabusa has also represented the Legislature as their attorney on an Amicus Brief filed with the Hawai`i Supreme Court.

Appointing Authority: Mayor
Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2026

Kika has spent the last twenty-three years in and around local, state, and federal politics as a former State Representative, former Executive Director for the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, former public policy advocate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, former Director of Government and Community Affairs for the Plumbers and Pipefitters, Local 675, and current Public and Government Affairs Liaison for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1260.

Kikaʻs prior professional career also included mid to senior-executive level positions with companies in some of Hawai`iʻs major industries including the Hyatt and Hilton Hotels, Matson Terminals, Inc., Meadow Gold Dairies, American Hawaii Cruises, Robertʻs Hawaii, and Browning Ferris Industries. He also served as the Managing Partner of a local waste management firm, the Principal of his own professional employer organization (PEO) outsourcing firm as well as several small businesses, and has been a licensed private detective since 2004.

Kika considers himself to be unconventional, a life-learner, and a staunch-believer in doing whatʻs right. Kika is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and attended the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Hawai`i Pacific University, and completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration at age 32 by attending night school while raising his two children as a single father on the island of Maui.

Kika understands the tremendous gravity of his role at HART, but also sees the tremendous benefit HART can offer the community at-large. He looks forward to contributing to, and supporting the efforts of HART while mindfully keeping the public’s trust and best interest at the core of all decisions. `A`ohe hana nui ke alu`ia ~ No task is too big if done together by all.

Appointing Authority: City Council
Term: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2029

Anthony Aalto is a British-born American documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has reported from more than two-dozen countries around the world under the byline of Tony Jenkins, including stints as a war correspondent for The Guardian and The BBC. He’s a former Fellow of the Center for International Policy, twice elected president of the United Nations Correspondents Association, and for several years hosted a current affairs talk show broadcast on CNBC. He’s the co-founder and producer-partner of the Honolulu-based, award-winning documentary film company Green Island Films. Their first movie, Railroading Paradise, documented the early fight over the HART project, the rationale advanced by supporters, and the arguments of opponents. The film premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2013. Their next film, No Room In Paradise, about Hawaii’s homeless crisis was Emmy-nominated, broadcast nationally on PBS and led to significant policy impacts in Hawaii. Their most recent project, a trilogy of documentaries called A Climate For Change has enjoyed extensive broadcast runs on Hawaii News Now and has thus far garnered over a million views in Hawaii. Anthony served as Chair of the O‘ahu Group of the Sierra Club from 2012 to 2018. He is anxious to ensure that the HART project meets its goals to improve social equity, stimulate affordable, transit-oriented development and boost O’ahu’s resilience to disaster.

Appointing Authority: City Council
Term: 8/11/21 – 6/30/26

Dawn is the Director of the City & County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP). Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Director of DPP. Previously, she served as a Deputy Corporation Counsel for DPP, Chief Planner for the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and Deputy Attorney General for the State Office of Planning. Dawn completed her undergraduate degree and a M.A. in Urban Planning at University of California, Los Angeles. She also holds a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Appointing Authority: Ex Officio Pursuant to the Revised Charter on the City and County of Honolulu
Term: End of appointment

Lisa is a career construction and project management professional with over 45 years of experience in project and program management. She spent over 10 years on the Honolulu Rail Transit Project serving in various capacities, including cost and schedule controls, risk mitigation and management, contract and claims administration, and reporting and communication expertise. Lisa has also provided project management expertise for the City and County of Honolulu’s Environmental Services Department for several projects, including the $2 billion administration of the 2010 Environmental Protection Act consent decree order, and $400 million in construction-administration of the expansion of the H-Power Plant.

Appointing Authority: HART Board of Directors
Term: 09/06/2024 – 6/30/2028

Ms. Iwasa has over 25 years of experience in public accounting and is a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner. She specializes in compliance work and accounting and consulting services for nonprofits and small businesses in the firm she established in 2003.

She has been active in the community on various boards and commissions, including the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, Honolulu City Council Real Property Tax Advisory Commission, and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Statewide Long-Range Land Transportation Plan.

Appointing Authority: Speaker of the House of Representatives
Term: 01/05/2021 – 6/30/2025

Mr. Morton is serving as Director of the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Transportation Services (DTS). Mr. Morton is a transportation professional whose Hawaii career spans over 40 years. Prior to his appointment as DTS Director, Mr. Morton spent 15 years as President and General Manager of O‘ahu Transit Services, Inc., the operator of Honolulu’s TheBus and Handi-Van system. He is a graduate of Kalani High School and has an undergraduate BA degree specializing in Economics from York University in Toronto and a graduate MSc degree in Community and Regional Planning specializing in public transportation from the University of British Columbia. He has attended several executive management programs, including courses at Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon, and the ENO Center for Transportation.

DTS provides oversight over Honolulu’s multi-modal transportation system including TheBus, paratransit and Honolulu’s elevated rail system – the first driverless light metro system in the United States. DTS also has responsibility for municipal parking facilities and parking policy, the implementation of complete streets and other mobility options such as walking, bicycles, scooters, and ride sharing. DTS supports regional transportation planning and administration of federal and state transportation grants. The department prepares energy conservation and emissions reduction plans, collects transportation related usage fees, and identifies new sources of revenue for the multi-modal transportation system. DTS is also responsible for transportation and traffic engineering on City streets, the Island-wide traffic signal system and transportation technology. The department is a lead agency responsible for coordination and operation of Honolulu’s Joint Traffic Management Center, which is a multi-agency collaboration to improve traffic management and public safety coordination across O‘ahu.

Appointing Authority: Ex Officio Pursuant to the Revised Charter on the City and County of Honolulu
Term: End of appointment

Christopher Moylan is a lifelong transit user and advocate who has played active roles on multiple transportation policy boards in California. Those include the Santa Clara County Transportation Commission, which he chaired; the Local Transportation Authority Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which he also chaired; the Measure B Citizens’ Watchdog Committee, where he was the initial Vice-Chair and wrote the bylaws, the County Expressways Policy Advisory Board; the El Camino Grand Boulevard Task Force; the National League of Cities Transportation, Infrastructure, and Services Policy Committee; the Valley Transportation Authority Board and its Policy Advisory Committee, which he chaired; the first three as an appointed citizen and the last five representing the City of Sunnyvale as an elected councilmember. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a Ph.D. from Stanford, and worked as a scientist for years before transitioning to his second career as a teacher (currently at ‘Iolani School). He served as the first District Director for a newly-elected Congressman, and and under his direction the office won a Congressional Management Foundation award for constituent services. He is excited to be a part of this critical project for the future of Honolulu.

Appointing Authority: Mayor
Term: 9/25/2024 – 6/30/2029

Mr. O’Donnell is serving as the Financial Secretary/Treasurer and Business Manager for the Ironworkers Union Local 625 and is a Trustee of all funds for the Hawaii Ironworkers Trust Fund. 

“Joe” is a former Member of the Hawaii State Commission for Community Service, former Chairman of the Honolulu Liquor Commission, currently a Member of the State of Hawaii Contractors Licensing Board, State of Hawaii HIOSH Advisory Committee and newly appointed Member of the HART Board.

Mr. O’Donnell has over 50 years of experience in the local Construction Industry and enjoys supporting local philanthropic activities for the community. 

Appointing Authority: Senate President
Term: 01/07/2021 – None Indicated

Ed Sniffen was appointed Director of the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) on Dec. 5, 2022, subject to Senate confirmation. As Director, Ed is responsible for State Transportation Infrastructure-Airports, Commercial Harbors, and Highways. As the Chief Executive for the Department, Ed’s goals are improving safety, preservation and upgrade of our transportation systems; ensuring efficiency and transparency in Departmental Operations, and pursuing opportunities and innovative strategies to leverage DOT resources and private partnerships to positively impact the highest goals of the State including Housing, Energy, Food Security, Education, and Climate Adaptation to improve the quality of life for our residents and the experiences of our visitors.

Appointing Authority: Ex Officio Pursuant to the Revised Charter on the City and County of Honolulu
Term: End of appointment

Arthur Tolentino is a Graduate of Leilehua High School, currently serving as the Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer for the Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Worker Local Union 293 and is the 2nd General Vice-President for the International Union representing the United States and Canada.

“Art” identified early on in life that hard work and serving others were ways he would measure his success. He is a local boy with a public-school education, followed by certification in Instructor Training Course at the Ohio State University. His career began at a local company and upon becoming a certified Journeyman in Sheetmetal, he felt the need to give back to the industry and commenced a ten-year run as an instructor for the Hawaii Joint Apprenticeship Committee. From there, he served as a Steward and modified the curriculum to pave their way into the 21st century. He subsequently found his way to being a Labor Organizer and was later elected to be the President/Business Agent for his Local, thus eventually arriving at his current position as the Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer.

Art is currently serving as a Trustee for the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) and is a former Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Permitting (OPP) for the City and County of Honolulu for the past 10 years. Previous to that, he served as a Trustee, Treasurer and Executive Board Member of the Hawaii Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO.

Mr. Tolentino comes with years of hands-on experience in the local Construction Industry and has promoted equitable wage & work conditions for his membership. He participates in annual community events that help the less fortunate and promotes keiki activities to keep them on track. His main objective is to elevate the quality of life for his members as well as all the working class.

Appointing Authority: Mayor
Term: 03/01/2022 – 06/30/2025

Robert Yu spent most of his career in public transportation with Oahu Transit Services, Inc. (OTS) and is currently their president and general manager. In between his public transportation career with OTS, he served as the chief financial officer with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and the deputy director of finance with the State of Hawaii.

He served as the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and is a board member of the Hawaii Employer-Union Trust Fund, the Teamsters Local 996 Health and Welfare Trust Fund, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and the United Chinese Society.

Appointing Authority: Honolulu City Council
Term: 02/22/2023 – 6/30/2025