Posted on: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Trust appoints schools chief

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kamehameha Schools has selected Dudley Hare Jr., an education administrator who has spent the bulk of his career in New York, as its new chief education officer, overseeing all campuses run by the Hawaiian trust.

Educators from the Mainland were also appointed to headmaster positions for the trust's Maui and Hawai'i campuses.

Hare, who has a doctorate in education administration from Columbia University, comes to Kamehameha Schools from the Westchester Education Coalition in New York, where he served as executive director. He was the selection committee's first choice among four semifinalists, said spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.

E. Rodney Chamberlain, the new headmaster for the Maui campus, and Stan Fortuna Jr., appointed headmaster for the Hawai'i campus, were also top choices, Paulsen said.

"The selections were made and announced to the staff (Friday)," Paulsen said.

"The committee members saw their picks were selected and accepted, and they were happy and relieved about that."

Chamberlain most recently headed University Lake School in Wisconsin. Fortuna was a school superintendent in Michigan. The new administrators will begin work in July.

Kamehameha administrators and others raised the concern that no local candidates were found to fill the positions, Paulsen said, but the candidates selected were those with the top qualifications.

The chief education officer position Hare will fill was created after a court-ordered reorganization of the 117-year old trust that resulted from the removal of its former trustees.

Michael Chun, who previously administered the schools' educational programs, chose to remain at the main campus on O'ahu as headmaster.

Hamilton I. McCubbin announced the final selections.

"I am very pleased that Kamehameha was able to attract this kind of talent and experience,'' McCubbin said.