The Commission
The Commission on Water Resource Management consists of seven members, five of whom are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate. The remaining two are the Chairperson of the State Board of Land and Natural Resources, who serves as Chairperson of the Water Commission, and the Director of the State Department of Health. The members are unpaid and serve a limited term. Click here to learn more about our logo and motto, “Ke Kahuwai Pono.”
Ryan K.P. Kanaka‘ole, Chairperson
Ryan K.P. Kanaka‘ole was nominated by Gov. Josh Green to become DLNR First Deputy in January 2024. He previously served as a Deputy Attorney General with the Dept. of the Attorney General, most recently, as an attorney for the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) and the Mauna Kea Stewardship Oversight Authority. From 2017-2023 he served as the deputy AG for the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL).
He also was involved in audits of DLNR, the University of Hawai‘i, the State Foundation of Culture and the Arts, the Department of Transportation, Department of the Attorney General, the Hawai‘i Energy Office, and the Department of Human Services (DHS).
He was appointed to the Public Land Trust Working Group due to his expertise on issues related to public land trust. Kanaka‘ole is instrumental in continuing to build relationships with stakeholders, lawmakers, and communities and fostering DLNR’s conservation mission.
Kenneth S. Fink, M.D., MGA, MPH
Kenneth S. Fink, M.D., MGA, MPH has served as Director of the Hawai‛i Department of Health since January 9, 2023 and has extensive public and private sector experience
Prior to joining DOH, Dr. Fink worked as the Vice President for Medicare & Medicaid Programs at HMSA. Before that he was the Director of Student Health Services for Kamehameha Schools. His government work includes serving as the State Medicaid Director for Hawai‘i, the Chief Medical Officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Region 10, and the Director of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Evidence-based Practice Centers programs at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Dr. Fink was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, Kerr White Visiting Scholar, and Excellence in Government Fellow. He attended Haverford College, received combined Medical Doctor and Master of Government Administration degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and was awarded a Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He completed residencies in family medicine at the University of Washington and preventive medicine at UNC. Dr. Fink is board certified in both family medicine, and general preventive medicine and public health. He has been awarded the degree of Fellow by both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Preventive Medicine.
In addition, Dr. Fink retired as a Colonel in the United States Air Force. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and served as both the Chief of Aerospace Medicine and the Medical Group Commander in the Hawai‘i Air National Guard.
Moses K.N. Haia, III, J.D.
Moses Haia’s nearly 30 years of work as an attorney was focused primarily on the lawful and proper management and care of Hawaiʻi’s public trust resources. As a result, the proper use, care and management of Hawaiʻi’s precious public trust resources has become a lifetime commitment for him. This commitment necessarily includes ensuring that agencies responsible for the proper use and management of such resources properly fulfill their obligations under state law. Mr. Haia’s relevant legal background, which has provided him with a deep understanding of Hawaiʻi’s public trust doctrine, has also offered him this opportunity to engage in thoughtful and balanced decision-making relative to the State of Hawaiʻi’s limited and, as such, precious water resources. This is his first term (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2029).
Lawrence H. Miike, M.D., J.D.
Lawrence H. Miike is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. Following his education, he served as a Senior Associate with the congressional Office of Technology Assessment conducting national health policy studies in Washington, D.C. Upon returning to Hawai‘i in 1989, Dr. Miike was the founding Executive Director of Papa Ola Lōkahi, the umbrella organization for the Native Hawaiian health systems. In 1992, he served as Medical Director for the Hawai’i Medicaid Program, then went on to serve as the State Director of Health from 1994 to 1998.
For 10 years, Dr. Miike was also Professor of Family Practice and Community Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa. In his capacity as Director of Health, Dr. Miike was a member of the Commission on Water Resource Management until his retirement in December 1998. His book, Water and the Law in Hawai‘i, was published by the University of Hawaiʻi Press in 2004. He served again on the Commission as an appointed member from 2004 to 2012 and has been a hearings officer for both the Commission and the Board of Land and Natural Resources since his retirement. This is his first term (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2027) with the Commission.
Juanita N. Reyher-Colon
Juanita N. Reyher-Colon serves as Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Rural Water Association, where she has led statewide efforts to strengthen water and wastewater systems serving small, rural and underserved communities. With more than two decades of experience in water system operations, workforce development, emergency preparedness and source water protection, she brings a community-centered and culturally grounded approach to water governance. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Maui County Board of Water Supply and has held national leadership roles in the American Water Works Association. This is her first term (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2029) with the Commission.
Hannah Kihalani Springer
Hannah Kihalani Springer is a kamaʻāina of Kaʻūpūlehu, at water scarce and fire prone North Kona, where she and her family homestead at Kukuiʻohiwai. There, they maintain an independent water system dependent on roof capture and water-tank storage to meet their agriculture and domestic needs. Hannah presently serves on the Boards of: the Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests, Hui Kahuwai, Kanu O Ka ʻĀina Learning ʻOhana, and Mānā Christian ʻOhana. She is actively engaged in community based resources management with: the Hui Kahuwai Marine Life Advisory Committee; the Kai Kuleana Network; Kaiāulu Puʻuwaʻawaʻa; and the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Advisory Committee. She has served as a Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy as well. From the kai to the kuahiwi, from the ʻāina to the boardroom, Hannah brings kamaʻāina perspective and sensibility to her civic engagements. This is her first term (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2028) with the Commission.
Selection & Terms
The State Water Code declares that the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources shall serve as the Chairperson of the Commission, while the Director of Health shall serve as an ex-officio voting member. The other five members of the Commission are to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Each member must have substantial experience in the area of water resource management.
In appointing a member to the Commission, the Governor selects from a list submitted by a nominating committee. The nominating committee is composed of four individuals chosen as follows:
- Two (2) persons appointed by the Governor.
- One (1) person appointed by the President of the Senate.
- One (1) person appointed by the Speaker of the House.
Following a solicitation of applications, a list of at least three individuals is sent to the Governor for each open position. Once appointed, the members of the Commission serve without compensation, but are reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties. The tenure of each Commission member is subject to the provisions of §26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which are summarized as follows:
- The members of each board and commission established by law shall be nominated and, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed by the Governor.
- The terms of the members shall be for four years; provided that the Governor may reduce the terms of those initially appointed so as to provide, as nearly as can be, for the expiration of an equal number of terms at intervals of one year for each board and commission.
- Unless otherwise provided by law, each term shall commence on July 1 and expire on June 30.
- No person shall be appointed consecutively to more than two terms as a member of the same board or commission; provided that membership on any board or commission shall not exceed eight consecutive years.
- Any member of a board or commission whose term has expired and who is not disqualified for membership under subsection (a) may continue in office as a holdover member until a successor is nominated and appointed; provided that a holdover member shall not hold office beyond the end of the second regular legislative session following the expiration of the member’s term of office.
- A vacancy occurring in the membership of any board or commission during a term shall be filled for the unexpired term thereof, subject to Article V, section 6 of the Constitution of the State.
- The governor may remove or suspend for cause any member of any board or commission after due notice and public hearing.
Learn more about the Nominating Committee.
The Commission’s Role
The State, as trustee of water resources, has the constitutionally-mandated responsibility to set policies, protect resources, defines uses, establish priorities while assuring rights and uses, and establish regulatory procedures. The Commission on Water Resource Management (Commission) is the entity fulfilling this responsibility through administration of the State Water Code, Chapter 174C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which was adopted by the legislature in 1987. Operating procedures are governed by administrative rules, which are Chapters 167 to 171, Hawaii Administrative Rules.
The Commission has jurisdiction over land-based surface water and ground water resources, but not coastal waters. The protection and management of these water resources is carried out through resource assessments, planning, and regulation. Generally, the Commission is responsible for addressing water quantity issues, while water quality issues are under the purview of the State Department of Health.
The Commission has regularly scheduled meetings, but on its own motion or on petition or application of any interested person or persons or an agency of the state or county government hold proceedings as necessary from time to time for the purpose of:
- Obtaining information necessary or helpful in the determination of its policies or actions;
- Formulating its own rules;
- Carrying out its duties and responsibilities including the designation of water management areas, the permitting of water uses, and the enforcement of rules, orders and legal standards and obligations.
For specific reference to the role of the Commission, please see the Hawaii Administrative Rules, §13-167-22, Proceedings before the Commission.
How to Apply
Prior to the end of a Commissioner’s term, the Commission’s selection process, as described above, is initiated. A Nominating Committee is formed and a statewide public notice is issued to solicit nominations. At that time, an application form will be made available here and interested applicants will need to submit their resumes and applications to the Nominating Committee by a deadline date specified in the public notice. Please visit the State of Hawaii Boards and Commission website below for more information on how to apply.
State of Hawaii: Boards and Commission Website ➽
Deadline to Apply: N/A
Please submit completed application forms to:
Commission on Water Resource Management
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 227
Honolulu, HI 96813
Fax: (808) 587-0219
Email: [email protected]
*Incumbents serving out the remainder of a term shall be subject to reappointment by the Governor and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Should the incumbent not be reappointed by the Governor or does not secure the advice and consent of the Senate, the interim appointment shall cease on or before the end of the Legislative Session.
