Kamehameha Schools names chief administrator
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Veteran educator Gerald Morihara has been named chief administrative officer of Kamehameha Schools effective June 26.
Kamehameha Schools
Morihara, 58, was chosen by a 13-member screening committee from a field of 39 candidates. The committee, comprising Kamehameha faculty and staff, was headed by Kamehameha secondary school principal Tony Ramos.
Gerald Morihara's position was created by school restructuring.
A graduate of Kaimuki High School, Morihara earned a master's degree in business administration at the University of Hawai'i. He said he has spent most of his career in higher education and felt it was time to focus on secondary education.
"When I look at the foundation of the state of Hawai'i, it's secondary schools," he said yesterday. "I also saw Kamehameha Schools as an economic driver for the state, not only in the sense of their personnel and the money that they spend but also, more importantly, the people would become more economically independent if they get a better education. The better educated and better skills they have, the more they will contribute to the economy."
As chief administrative officer, Morihara will preside over information technology, human resources, facilities management and planning, and records management.
Kamehameha Schools' chief executive officer, Hamilton McCubbin, had high praise for Morihara's management skills.
"He has extensive managerial and oversight experience in the fields of personnel, budget, procurement, contracts, facilities management and technology — and all with an educational focus," McCubbin said.
Morihara served in the Air Force from 1965-69 and with the Air Force Reserve in 1969-93, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He began his career in education in 1969 as a management analyst at the University of Hawai'i. He also served as associate dean and dean of the UH College of Continuing Education for 20 years.
He retired from UH, but continued his work in education as director of education for Kaplan Educational Center, as a consultant to the dean of the UH Outreach College, and as a consultant on work-force development for the UH community colleges.
Morihara's position at Kamehameha was created as part of a CEO-based management structure adopted in 1999. That year, a state Probate Court judge ordered the trust then known as Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate to adopt a management structure in which a CEO would handle its day-to-day financial, legal and administrative affairs.
