3 UH regents will be chosen from pool of 8 nominees

Eight finalists are in the running to fill three seats on the voluntary 15-member University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

The UH Regents Candidate Advisory Council, a screening committee prescribed by state law, announced Thursday that it has presented the following candidates to Gov. David Ige for consideration. The nominations are for five-year appointments, beginning July 1, that would be subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

For the Honolulu seat held by retired Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Simeon Acoba Jr.:

>> Simeon Acoba Jr., who retired from the high court in 2014 after reaching the mandatory retirement age, and has served on the Board of Regents since then. Before being appointed to the high court in 2000, Acoba was an associate judge on the Intermediate Court of Appeals and a Circuit Court judge before that. He currently lectures at UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

>> Anthony Ching, former longtime executive director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency that regulates development in Kakaako. Ching retired from the post at the end of 2015. He previously led the state Land Use Commission and worked in planning for the state departments of Land and Natural Resources; Business, Economic Development and Tourism; and Health.

>> Luanna Meyer, a former professor of education here and in New Zealand. In New Zealand she was on the education faculty at Victoria University of Wellington and was an assistant vice chancellor and professor at Massey University. She also taught at UH, the University of Minnesota and Syracuse University.

For the at-large seat currently held by attorney Benjamin Kudo, the regents’ vice chairman:

>> Kim Coco Iwamoto, a former elected member of the state Board of Education. She serves on the advisory council to the dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine. She previously served as managing attorney for the nonprofit Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii; on the state Civil Rights Commission; and as a member and chairwoman of the Career and Technical Education Coordinating Advisory Council, which advises the Board of Regents.

>> Benjamin Kudo, a lawyer with Honolulu firm Ashford and Wriston, who has served on the Board of Regents since 2012. He previously served as an adjunct professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law and has taught at the Shidler College of Business and UH West Oahu.

>> Meyer, the retired education professor, is also a finalist for this seat.

For the Kauai County seat currently held by retired UH administrator David Iha:

>> Dr. Dileep Bal, formerly the state Health Department’s district health officer for Kauai. He retired last year and is a clinical professor at the UH Cancer Center and John A. Burns School of Medicine. He previously worked as chief of the Cancer Control Branch within California’s Department of Health Services.

>> Norma Doctor Sparks, co-founder and president of Families First Hawaii Services Inc., a consulting firm that advocates for children and families. She previously worked for the state as a deputy attorney general and as administrator of the Family Crisis Services branch in Family Court on Oahu. Sparks previously served as administrator of Child Welfare Services under the state Department of Human Services.

>> Steven A. Hunt, real property tax manager for Kauai County’s Finance Department. He previously served as the county’s finance director.

As the governing board of the 10-campus UH system, the Board of Regents “formulates policy and exercises control over the university … (and) has exclusive jurisdiction over the internal structure, management and operation of the university,” according to UH.