Posted on: Saturday, December 21, 2002

Another high-tech official leaving state government

By John Duchemin
Advertiser Staff Writer

High Technology Development Corp. executive director Nola Miyasaki has resigned and will leave Hawai'i to head an entrepreneurship program at Syracuse University in New York.

Her decision means that most of the state's top officials charged with developing a high-tech industry in Hawai'i have resigned since Gov. Linda Lingle was sworn into office Dec. 2.

Joseph Blanco, the technology adviser to former Gov. Ben Cayetano, resigned Nov. 29, as did several other Cayetano administration technology officials.

"It's been a privilege to work with Hawai'i's public and private sectors to facilitate the growth of our high-tech industry," Miyasaki said yesterday in announcing her resignation.

Miyasaki will be executive director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, which is part of the Syracuse University School of Management.

Miyasaki's resignation is effective Jan. 10.

The High Technology Development Corp. board of directors will discuss appointing an interim director during its Jan. 9 meeting, said Russ Yamane, board chairman.

HTDC runs the state's main high-technology business incubator, the Manoa Innovation Center, and directs the high-tech marketing, business attraction and work-force development efforts.

Miyasaki, an attorney and former executive assistant to then-Gov. Ben Cayetano, became HTDC's top official in May 2000.