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HART Board Announces Appointment of Acting Executive Director and HART Board Subgroup to Search for Executive Director and CEO

HONOLULU, HI — Today, the Board of Directors of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) announced the appointment of Michael D. Formby, a HART Board member and Director of Transportation Services for the City and County of Honolulu, as Acting Executive Director of HART, effective immediately. Formby currently serves as an ex-officio voting HART Board member because of his position as DTS Director, and he resigned from the HART Board upon accepting the Acting Executive Director position with HART. The HART Board also announced the appointment of a permitted interaction group to search for qualified candidates to fill the position of HART Executive Director and CEO, which was vacated by the resignation of HART Executive Director and CEO Dan Grabauskas.

Colleen Hanabusa, Chair of the HART Board, said, “The HART Board wanted to act swiftly but prudently so that the business of HART is not interrupted by Dan Grabauskas’s resignation. We are fortunate that Mike has the knowledge and leadership skills and was willing to assume this temporary assignment while the Board recruits for and fills the position of Executive Director and CEO. After the HART Board meeting at which the appointment of Mr. Formby was made, I intend to meet with Mayor Kirk Caldwell to ask that he agree to the temporary assignment of Mr. Formby as the Acting Executive Director of HART. Mayor Caldwell has indicated his support of the HART Board and the rail project and I hope he agrees to the assignment.”

Formby said, “I look forward to working closely with Deputy Executive Director Brennon Morioka and the hard-working HART staff as we move quickly to strengthen our working relationship with the Mayor, the Honolulu City Council, the State of Hawaii and the Federal Transit Administration. As a HART Board member, I am familiar with the many challenges facing this project and I am committed to working with the HART team to move this project forward in a manner that is transparent, responsive and in the best interest of the transit riders and taxpayers.”

Prior to joining Mayor Caldwell’s cabinet in 2013, Formby served as the Interim Director of Transportation in 2010, where he oversaw the management of the Airports, Harbors and Highways Divisions. He was the Deputy Director of the State of Hawaii Harbors Division from 2007 to 2010. Formby is an attorney with over 20 years of litigation experience and has taught at the William S. Richardson School of Law and Hawaii Pacific University. He also previously served on the State of Hawaii, Land Use Commission.

Hanabusa also announced the appointment of a permitted interaction group led by businessman Colbert Matsumoto to recruit and make recommendations to fill the Executive Director and CEO position.

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