Lili'uokalani trust rotates leadership

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Former Circuit Judge Thomas Kaulukukui Jr. has been elected chairman of the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust.

Kaulukukui, 56, succeeds David Peters, who will remain on the board. Kaulukukui has been with the trust since 1998.

Peters, a trustee since 1978, has been chairman since 1998. He said rotating the position is "in accordance with good governance practices."

The two are searching for a third trustee. Last month, First Hawaiian Bank announced it was withdrawing as trustee after 65 years in an effort to promote Native Hawaiian economic self-reliance.

Kaulukukui served as a Circuit Court judge from 1988 to 1993, when he became a vice president of The Queen's Health Systems.

A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Michigan State University, he received his law degree from the University of Hawai'i.

Following his election, Kaulukukui announced the appointment of Robert Ozaki to the newly created position of trust administrator. Ozaki was an executive vice president, chief executive officer and chief investment officer for The Queen's Health Systems.

The Queen Lili'uokalani Trust was founded in 1909 to benefit orphans and destitute children, with preference given to children of Hawaiian ancestry.

The queen stipulated that there be three trustees, and in the case of a death or resignation, that the remaining two choose a successor.