UH employees nominated for the 2006 Governor's Awards for Distinguished State Service

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Mia Noguchi, (808) 956-9095
Arlene Abiang, (808) 956-5637
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Aug 2, 2006

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi has selected its employee, manager and team nominees for the 2006 Governor‘s Awards for Distinguished State Service. They will compete with employees from other government agencies for statewide honors to be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, October 4, at the State Capitol Auditorium.

Charles Nelson, agricultural equipment development working supervisor in the molecular biosciences and bioengineering (MBBE) department at UH Mānoa, is the university‘s representative for Employee of the Year. Richard Dubanoski, dean of the College of Social Sciences at UH Mānoa, was nominated for Manager of the Year. The Career Access Project Team consisting of Paul Sakamoto, IT specialist, Office of the VP for Community Colleges; Erin Loo, job placement counselor, Employment Training Center; and Sandy Hoshino, job developer, Leeward Community College, were nominated for the Team Excellence Award of Merit.

Nelson was selected to represent UH as Employee of the Year for designing and building devices that make research, extension and instruction projects possible. His hard work and creativity have developed many technologies that benefit Hawaiʻi‘s people and environment, such as disinfestations machines that help growers combat invasive pests and biological treatment systems that clean contaminated dairy wastewater at the UH livestock farm and at a commercial Oʻahu dairy. He is committed to lifelong learning and applies his knowledge and skills to developing MBBE‘s Web site, setting up the department‘s server, maintaining the student computer lab, and training students to use the shop‘s machine equipment safely.

Dubanoski was selected to represent UH as Manager of the Year for his ability to lead a large and diverse group of 135 faculty members in 11 departments. His energy and creativity in developing and supporting the community scholar-in-residence program, legislator-in-residence program, public policy center, Mānoa Forum and other initiatives have supported the college‘s educational mission and helped connect the university more closely to the community. Dubanoski‘s transparent budget process, his open and inclusive governance style and the countless acts of support for individual faculty and staff have helped create an administrative environment in which many faculty, staff and students have thrived.

UH has nominated the Career Access Project Team of Sakamoto, Loo and Hoshino for their design and development of Career Access, a web-based job preparation program. The state-of-the-art, interactive system can be easily adapted for use by faculty members, counselors, staff and students in a variety of settings. The site is comprised of five tutorials that cover job applications, resumes, cover letters, interviews and job search.

The State seeks nominations for the annual Governor‘s Awards for Distinguished State Service each year. They are part of the State‘s employee recognition and incentive program administered by the Department of Human Resources Development to honor executive branch employees who exemplify the highest standards of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawaii.

About the University of Hawaiʻi
Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.