Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 7, 1 July 2014 — HOPKINS, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOPKINS,

JeremyKama I Honolulu, O'ahu I Kamehameha School l Mānoa, O'ahu I Kāne'ohe, O'ahu

1. One policy priority would be to systematically balanceour grants program to offer greater grant opportunities to those organizations serving our people, our beneficiaries, in the areas of education, health care and housing. Currently OHA looks at achieving long-term goals by leveraging resources and working with partners by way of grants. I believe we need to balance that view and assist those organizations participating in the fulfillment of OHA's mission, "... to better the conditions of Hawaiians," by searching out and offering grant opportunities to organizations who are helping our people right now.Oftentimes we ean be caught up in long-term goals and forget that we have people that need help right now. Another policy priority would be to incubate and nurture more eeonomie and innovative ways to use OHA's assets to benefit its beneficiaries. OHA cannot succeed without necessary financial resources. We need to let our assets work for us. We need to have our beneficiaries and others be involved. If we are healthy and economically strong people, many more opportunities will be available to us. 2. My skills and experiences as a former Hawaiian Homes Commissioner will guide me in making prudent decisions as a policymaker at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. As a commissioner, I was part of a commission that was responsible for management of a little more than 200,000 acres of land for agricultural, pastoral, residential, commercial and conservation dispositions. Also, we had oversight over a $100+ million budget every year that included administrative, operational and developmental costs. I ean bring this same thoughtful, insightful and decisive decision-making to the Board of Trustees. A tough thing to remember as a policymaker is that you will need to make tough choices that will not please everyone, but it needs to be done with compassion, with aloha and keeping in mind the goal of serving beneficiaries. I have been doing that and hope to continue to do so.