New COO appointed to HART
The newly-appointed Interim Executive Director of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), Lori Kahikina, announced that Rick Keene has joined the organization as its Chief Operating Officer and her second in command. This is the first hire of the new leader.
“Rick brings a wealth of experience to the project that is very complementary to my strengths of construction, major project management and team building. He is an accomplished and adaptive financial executive who gained in-depth knowledge of HART during his recent 3-year HART assignment with the City and County of Honolulu. He is straightforward and goal-oriented, as I am, and will be invaluable in working through the financial issues we face,” said Kahikina.
In his new role, Rick will work closely with Kahikina in the overall leadership of the organization, with a particular focus on HART’s Finance and Real Estate Acquisition initiatives.
Keene was Executive Assistant in the Office of the Managing Director during the Caldwell Administration from 2017-2020. He primarily served as a liaison between the City and the semiautonomous HART organization. He built relationships with the Federal Transit Administration, the Project Management Oversight Consultant, the financial team at HART, and various other parties involved in the project. He also represented the City in several of HART’s projects, including the recent evaluation of the proposed public-private partnership for the City Center construction. He brought to that position years of financial experience including serving as Chief Financial Officer of both Bank of Hawaii and The Queens Health Systems.
“I, and the HART Board, am pleased to have Lori and Rick lead HART during this challenging time for the project. I truly believe they are the right people to sort through difficult issues with an exceptionally high level of integrity and transparency. They will operate in an open and honest manner, helping all stakeholders understand the good and the bad and then finding the best way forward”, said Tobias.
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