"This will be good for a year, I honestly thought that," Skog said as she reflected on the agency's history and its future in the context of its 25th anniversary celebration scheduled for later this month.

Skog, a Maui native, had returned home in 1984 after working in interior design in Hong Kong. She saw a newspaper ad about a job as executive assistant to the president of this fledgling nonprofit called the Maui Economic Development Board.

She was told the organization's goal would be to promote and assist the island in diversifying the economy so it wasn't only reliant on tourism and agriculture. "They were trying to do something innovative, and I thought this could be interesting," she said.

The agency's pioneers were the late Colin Cameron of Maui Land & Pineapple Co., who came up with the concept, and Don Malcolm, whom Cameron hired to work for a year-and-a-half to engineer the concept and work as consultant for the Maui Economic Development Board.

Skog said she wasn't really interested in a long-term career as an executive assistant at the agency. It turned out she wasn't. In 1999, she became the woman in charge.

As MEDB's president, Skog oversees a budget of $4 million a year. Funding comes in contracts with the county, state and federal governments as well as from grants from private foundations.

Skog has gone from being the sole employee to overall supervisor of 15, who work a variety of projects from technological conferences to work force support in science and technology to assisting students in their pursuit of careers that will result in diversifying the county's economy.

In the early days, Skog said she found herself often explaining her agency and its mission.

"I would say MEDB, and before I could finish, they'd say MEO (Maui Economic Opportunity Inc.)," she said.

Maui Economic Development Board's offices were initially set up at Maui Land and Pineapple Co. offices in Kahului, where Cameron provided space. A decade into its work, the agency had initiated the Maui Research & Technology Park, with its first facility supported by the state and the University of Hawaii, the Maui Research & Technology Center, an "incubation" facility that served as the MEDB headquarters.

Last year, Maui Economic Development Board completed its own office building within the R&T Park.

"When the park first opened, people started to really relate to us because it was something tangible," Skog said.

It took an intense effort to convince County Council members in 1984 to give up oversight to approve a research & technology park zoning category for 300 acres of former Haleakala Ranch pastures. The R&T park zoning allows an interested technology operation to build the kind of facilities it needs within the R&T Park without facing additional land-use reviews.

In addition to the R&T Center, a private investment group completed the Premiere Place that is used largely by the Air Force Research Laboratories Maui operations, while across the road, the Maui High Performance Computing Center serves as a primary resource for agencies and businesses needing high-speed computing assistance.

Today, Skog describes her organization as a "catalyst" that assists and supports ventures that springboard into technology operations that stimulate business development.

"We are about economic development through the lens of what is acceptable environmentally and culturally," Skog said.

Skog is proud of her agency's involvement in the community when it established Focus Maui Nui in conjunction with its 20th anniversary.

"It seems to have a standard on what's ideal and what's possible," she said.

Focus Maui Nui, a community project in partnership with the county's Long Range Planning Division, conducted a series of small group sessions to gather the community's input on General Plan 2030. That plan provides an overall vision for Maui so that county and state decision-makers have a framework of what their community wants and sees.

MEDB is also about support for technology business and projects in work force development.

During the last 25 years, MEDB's education projects have ranged from hands-on science lessons to elementary-aged pupils to technological project-based curriculum for high school students. MEDB also created initiatives such as the Women in Technology project, aimed at encouraging young girls to remain in fields of math, science and technology.

"From the very beginning, we saw education as critical," Skog said.

One of Maui Economic Development Board's newest efforts is the Ke Ala Hele Education Fund. This fund will be a grant-making vehicle to support Maui groups promoting or developing projects in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The agency's 25th anniversary dinner set for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Wailea Marriott will benefit the education fund.

"It's been so satisfying to give back to the community in that way," Skog said.

She sees the agency continuing to support industry with education.

"It's been a wonderful role to play, and I find it very satisfying," she said.

That effort will include expanding the Environmental Spatial & Technology educational program, known as Project EAST, which was initiated with a pilot program at Lahainaluna High School and now involves eight schools around the islands, six of them in the Maui District.

One of the pioneers of Project EAST, the Kihei Charter High School, is piloting expansion in the middle school with a dedication ceremony Saturday for the new Kihei Charter Middle School in the R&T Center.

Leslie Wilkins, coordinator for the Women in Technology project, said Kihei Charter High School is taking the EAST concept the furthest, installing all of the science and technology concepts in the schools' curriculum.

"The Kihei school has done the most in incorporating hands-on, experiential programs as part of the learning experience," she said.

EAST programs are also established at Maui High, Baldwin High and King Kekaulike High schools, with Molokai High School trying out the EAST program last year and looking to expand to the Molokai Middle School this year.

Recognizing the ability of Project EAST to promote student interest in science and technology, the state Legislature this year provided funding specifically for expansion of EAST in schools elsewhere in the state, including Oahu.

"It's nice to see that not everything has to start on Oahu," Skog said.

She said MEDB has begun discussions on increasing its involvement in research studies and projects that will help decision-makers in industry with their work force needs

She notes that some 25 years ago, there were just 130 workers on Maui in the technology field. Today, there are 1,300, and Skog sees that number growing in the future.

She said the state Department of Education is a key partner with MEDB.

"Frankly, we couldn't do it without them," Skog said.

Skog credits both Malcolm and Cameron for their persistence in the early days of creating the agency. She recalls when she didn't think the R&T Park wouldn't be completed, after MEDB had wrestled for approval of the R&T park zoning bill.

Three different development groups dropped out after initiating discussions.

"I'm thinking we're going to have to give this up," she said.

Malcolm then announced a plan in which MEDB, in partnership with a group of local investors, would be the developer.

"It was a tremendous lesson in perseverance, and here we are today," she said.

Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.