2007 Distinguished Alumni & Service
Maurice Kaya
Born and raised in the small plantation town of Papaikou , Maurice Kaya comes from a family of two girls and one boy. Kaya and one of his sisters live on Oahu while his parents and the other sister reside on the Big Island. He and his wife, Shelley, have two grown daughters.
A graduate of Hilo High School (1966), Kaya attended UH Hilo (then known as Hilo College) before going on to UH Manoa where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and Master’s in Environmental Engineering.
Even though Kaya has spent most of his life on Oahu , he still holds many fond memories of his childhood days that were filled with fun activities such as fishing with his dad, camping with his Boy Scout troop, and paying a dime to watch cartoons on Saturdays.
During his college year at UH Hilo’s engineering program, there were many part-time instructors who were full-time professional engineers, from whom he learned a practical approach to engineering that has proved valuable through the years since he left Hilo.
With more than 30 years of professional experience related to energy and environmental engineering in the private and public sectors, Kaya has held various positions such as the Vice President and Chief Engineer of a major civil engineering firm in Honolulu; the Deputy Director and Chief Engineer for the City and County of Honolulu; the Director of Facilities Planning and Engineering for the US Navy Public Works Center at Pearl Harbor.
In January of 2003, Kaya was appointed the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Strategic Industries Division. His position includes leading efforts to diversify statewide economy, developing programs to increase investment in strategic technologies, administering energy programs for the state, and directing a strategic technology economic development program that focuses on Hawaii ’s outstanding competitive advantages in defense activity, natural resources and technology. Kaya has brought national recognition to Hawaii for his work on renewable energy and energy efficient programs. His expertise on clean energy technologies and policies has been sought nationally and internationally. He was twice named DBEDT’s Manager of the Year, and earned other numerous awards, including the Energy Champion for state programs in USDOE’s Rebuild America program.
Kaya serves on various boards dealing with natural energy, high technology development and energy policy, including being the current co-chair of Hawaii ’s EPSCoR Statewide Committee, whose main focus is community education and outreach with particular attention to workforce development needs of the high technology businesses. Given Big Island ’s rich natural resources that facilitate the development of a sustainable energy system, Kaya sees the strong need to support UH Hilo to grow the talent locally to meet the demands of such high technology businesses.
Russell Okata
Russell Okata was born in Pepeekeo to Katsumi and Sakako Okata. Okata and his two sisters grew up
learning by example from their parents. They firmly believed in helping others and held their family and
job responsibilities in high regard. Taketa graduated from Hilo High School in 1959 and attended Hilo
College before moving to UH Manoa to finish his BBA in business administration. He says that when he
attended Hilo College , he learned life-long teachings which included value of education, friendship,
keeping your word and making use of time.
After graduation he went to work for the Department of Personnel Services. In 1970 he began working for the Hawaii Government Employees Association AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO as a Research Statistician. He was mentored by David K. Trask, Jr. and succeeded him in 1981as the Executive Director and is honored to hold that position today. Okata credits his father and James K. Wakatsuki, former speaker of the Hawaii State House of Representatives and Hawaii State Supreme Court justice for influencing and preparing him for his career.
As the leader of 42,777 members of HGEA, he has a very challenging job. He deals with multiple employers who are very powerful in different ways. HGEA is recognized by many as a community leader and they are called upon to work together for a better Hawaii through community projects.
Okata is not only passionate about his work, but also about giving back to the community. In addition to his parent’s influence, his experience with the Boy Scouts led him to value community work by supporting the causes of various non-profit organizations such as Aloha United Way , the American Cancer Society, Blood Bank of Hawaii and the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific.
Okata has won various awards, but he values the ones that relate to his public service and role as a trade labor unionist. He says, “I am honored and humbled to be recognized in the proud traditions of Hawaii ’s labor leaders who worked tirelessly on behalf of working families to improve their quality of life.”
In his spare time, he enjoys his extended family get-togethers and traveling. He also enjoys reading, spectator sports, golfing with friends and eating local foods.
Okata has been married to his wife, Gail, for 40 years. Together they have two children, son Ryan and daughter Camille.
Yukio Takeya
Yukio Takeya was born in Hakalau, and is the grandson of immigrants who worked in the Big Island’s
sugar mills. The eldest of ten children, he attended Hakalau Elementary and Intermediate School
before moving on to Hilo High School , where he graduated in 1944.
Takeya went to work as an electrician’s helper in a sugar mill following graduation, but it didn’t last
long. In 1946, he was drafted during the last draft associated with World War II and was stationed
in Honolulu , where he was assigned to a medical laboratory. He briefly continued to work in the
medical field after his discharge from the military, when he accepted a job at Hilo Hospital . In
1950, Takeya made the first of two major career moves when he went to work for the U.S. Postal Service and spent the next 23 years as a rural carrier.
During this period, he served in the Hawai`i Army national Guard, eventually becoming Adjutant General of the 29 th Infantry Brigade and an assistant instructor with the United States Army Reserve. He was recalled to active duty in 1968 and served nine months in Vietnam in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff G-3 as Manpower Control Officer with the 1 st Logistical Command. Takeya retired with the permanent rank of Major and a Bronze Star awarded for meritorious service.
Despite his demanding schedule, Takeya had a passion for learning that led him to enroll at what was then the Hilo campus of the University of Hawai`i , where he took courses in everything from business law to botany from1964-1965. 1964 also saw Takeya make his second major career move as he decided to embark on a career in real estate. That year, he earned his real estate license and began work as a part time agent. In 1970, he opened the doors of Ala Kai Realty, which he presides over today as President and Principal Broker. He also serves as President of Ala Kai Development Company, along with general partner in Ala Kai Associates and Ponahawai Limited Partners.
Active in numerous professional and community organizations, he presently serves as vice-chair for the Hawaii County Liquor Commission. Takeya is a twice past president of the Hawai`i Island Board of Realtors; past president of the Hawai`i Association of Realtors; past president of Destination Hilo; a former member of the Hawai`i Real Estate commission; past water commissioner and past president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawai`i.
Takeya generously gives of his time to serve the community, taking up causes that have special meaning to him. They include the Big Island Housing Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing for seniors by utilizing grant monies from HUD to upgrade existing units. As coordinator for the Japanese Community Association, Takeya serves as part of an exchange program for youth. He also helps promote tourism on the Big Island through his involvement with Destination Hilo.
Senator Lorraine R. Inouye
2007 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDEE
State Senator Lorraine R. Inouye was born and raised on the Big Island . Her father, Santiago
Rodero, a Sakada, arrived on the 3 rd ship in 1917 to work as a laborer on the plantation owned by
Hilo Sugar Company, where he met her mother, Antonia Martinez Vegas.
Inouye graduated from Hilo High School and earned a certificate in Hotel Management. She then
spent more than twenty years working in Hawai`i ’s hotel and visitor industry.
Her political career began in 1974 with an appointment to the Hawai`i County Planning Commission,
where Inouye served until 1979. In 1980, she accepted an appointment from then Governor George Ariyoshi to the Hawai`i State Plan Policy Council. Inouye served until 1983, when she resigned to seek a seat on the Hawai`i County Council, which she won in 1984. In 1990, she won a special election to serve out the remaining two years of the previous mayor’s term, after the incumbent had died in office.
Inouye was elected to state office in 1998, when voters chose her to represent the Big Island ’s First Senatorial District. Senator Inouye currently serves as Chair of the Intergovernmental and Military Affairs committee and Vice-Chair of Transportation and International Affairs committee. She is also a member of the Judiciary and Labor committee.
As a legislator, Inouye has supported a variety of UH Hilo initiatives, including big ticket capital improvements such as the Student Life and Events Center , the Science and Technology Building and infrastructure improvements at the University Park of Science and Technology critical to establishment of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) and Institute for Tropical Forestry.
Active in numerous community affairs, Inouye is a charter member of the North Hawai`i Community Hospital, a member of the Waimea Outdoor Circle , Waimea Community Association, Big Island Filipino Community Council, Pepeekeo Filipino Community Association, the League of Women Voters, and the Hilo Japanese Community Association. She also served as Director of the Girl Scouts of Hawai`i from 1995-2000 and is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America.
Her community work earned Inouye the government service award from the United Filipino Council of Hawai`i in 1997 and Outstanding Community Service Award from the Filipino Women's Civic Club in 2005.
Inouye is also a dedicated mentor to Hawai`i 's youth, especially young women. She manages to find time to visit schools in her district, participating in activities such as the Read-to-Me Program, and speaking to students about civic responsibility, the political system, and the importance of community involvement.
Derek Kurisu
2007 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDEE
Derek Kurisu was raised in the sugar plantation town of Hakalau on the Hamakua Coast along with his
two sisters and two brothers. His father was active in the plantation, his mother worked for the
County, and both nurtured the family as well as the community.
Kurisu graduated from Hilo High School in 1969. He attended the University of Hawai`i at Hilo from
1969 to 1972, before enrolling at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, where he earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in Agriculture in 1974.
A successful businessman and community leader, Kurisu has been employed at KTA Super Stores for more than 38 years. He began as a part-time courtesy clerk and worked his way up holding a variety of positions including stock clerk, frozen food clerk, meat cutter, supervisor, buyer, and is now the Executive Vice President of Perishable Operations.
Kurisu has been described as a homegrown ambassador for Hawai`i . He says his goals are to make the Big Island and the State of Hawai`i the greatest place on Earth and to have Hawai`i products available throughout the world. Kurisu created Mountain Apple Brand products, a private label involving more than 285 items and 80 business partnerships. In addition to creating new products for consumers and new markets for producers, Mountain Apple has become a popular teaching tool for students, businesses and non-profit organizations. He also produces three cable television programs, “Living in Paradise ,” “Seniors Living in Paradise ,” and “Life in Paradise .” The shows air nightly on the Hawai`i Island local cable T.V. Channel 27 and change monthly.
Kurisu is active in numerous organizations including East Hawai`i Kiwanis, Hawai`i County Office of Aging and Community Voices Council, Public health Nursing Hawai`i Sector Advisory Committee, University of Hawai`i at Hilo SB Nursing Program Advisory Board, University of Hawai`i at Hilo Education Department Advisory Board, University of Hawai`i at Hilo Business and Economics Advisory Board, State Department of Education Business Management Technology Advisory Board, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Board of Advisors, Hawai`i Winter League Advisory Board Chairman, Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug and Barge Hawai`i County Community Advisory Board, Hawai`i County Advisory Committee on Tourism, Hawai`i Food Industry Chairman, and Transition Magazine Advisory Board President.
His numerous honors include the Hawai`i County Office of Aging Partnership Award, Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award, Key Club Advisor of the Year, State Small Business Advocate Award, State Retail Employee of the Year Award, County Council Recognition Award, Hawai`i State School-to-Work Business Partnership Award, Hawai`i Island Humanitarian of the Year, State DOE Business Education Partnership Award, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Outstanding Alumnus, and most recently, the State of Hawai`i Friend of Agriculture Award.
A very popular motivational speaker, Kurisu is loud, witty, unpredictable and often uses unconventional methods to connect with his audience. Forever humble, Kurisu describes himself as a “C-student and country boy.” He tirelessly promotes the values and work ethics of the plantation elders and never hesitates to share a story of the past to educate the future.
Sergeant Steve Sakoda
2007 Alumni Award for Distinction
in Military/Public Service
Steve Makoto Sakoda graduated from Waiakea High School in Hilo in 1994 and enlisted a few
months later in the Marine Corps Reserve. He served as a warehouse clerk for a total of 8 years at
the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company at Kaneohe Bay , Hawai`i . He was promoted to corporal
in 1999 and received his National Defense, 2x Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, and an Armed
Forces Reserve Medal. During that period, he attended the University of Hawai`i at Hilo , where he
earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication in December 2002.
Affectionately known as “Scrotie,” Sakoda was remembered during his college days by professors
and fellow students for wearing his hair in an enormous mass, sometimes dyed orange, sometimes dyed blue. He loved doing improvisational theatre exercises, like pretending to be an astronaut in an ice cream parlor. Although known as a “peace advocate,” Sakoda once played the role of an abusive boyfriend in an anti-violence play, to demonstrate to teens that there was another way to resolve conflicts.
Sakoda was discharged from the Marine Reserve in 2002 and had considered becoming a deejay or a journalist. But after the events of 9/11, Steve felt the strong need to rejoin the military to serve his country in a way that he knew he could. In 2003, he enlisted with the Army National Guard in Hilo as a radio operator for the headquarters company scout platoon of the 2 nd Battalion 299 th Infantry. After only a year with the Guard, he signed up for active duty as a cavalry scout, completed his advanced individual training and was assigned to the famed 101 st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell , Kentucky . He later transferred to D Company 3 rd Battalion 502 nd Infantry regiment, but was denied his request to rejoin his Guard unit when they were activated and deployed to Iraq .
Steve had always wanted to become “Sergeant Sakoda,” like his father, who was a Sergeant in the Hawai`i County Police Department. In his application for promotion he wrote that his short term goals were to achieve the position of E5/sergeant, deploy to Iraq with his men, accomplish the mission, and bring them home. His long term goal was to retire in the Army.
Sakoda saw the fulfillment of his first goal in May, 2005, when he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. That October, he and his men began a one-year deployment to Iraq . A natural leader, Sakoda was well-liked and respected by his comrades. Though thoroughly professional when the situation demanded it, he never lost sight of his “Hilo Boy” roots. His wife Michelle wrote “Steve loved his home, his friends and family. He always wanted to return home to Hawai`i and live his life surfing, paddling, fishing, acting, partying and loving those dear to him.”
His dream of completing his mission and returning home with his men home was cut tragically short in May of 2006, when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in a convoy in Baghdad . Yet he was able to touch many lives through his dedication to country, generous heart and genuine concern for others. And through his sacrifice, he has helped preserve the very freedoms that we as citizens of Hawai`i and the United States hold so very dear.