Office of Hawaiian Affairs Ka Pouhana/CEO Sylvia Hussey announced she will be leaving the organization June 30, at the end of the fiscal year, “to focus on her personal and ‘ohana health.”

Hussey has served in the position since December 2019 and was the organization’s chief operating officer since joining the agency in November 2018.

Colin Kippen, chief of staff to the OHA Board of Trustees, was named interim CEO until her replacement is found, according to a news release. He formerly served the agency as deputy administrator of the Hawaiian Rights Division.

Kumabe HR has been retained to aid trustees in the recruitment and selection of a new CEO, the release said. A successor is expected to be name before the end of the year.

“Sylvia has worked tirelessly to lead this organization and support its mission and our beneficiaries. While we are saddened by this news, we wish Sylvia the best in her future endeavors and we cannot thank her enough for the contributions she has made to the lahui,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey in a statement Friday.

According to the news release, Hussey, a certified public accountant, lead implementation of OHAʻs 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan and managed the agency’s reorganization. During her tenure, “OHA provided record funding amounts in grant awards to community nonprofits working to strengthen OHA’s strategic foundations of ‘ohana, mo‘omeheu and ‘aina,” the release said.

A former trial lawyer, Kippen’s experience includes serving as administrator of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, a former senior counsel to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye on the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, as the state’s homeless director, and a former policy and government relations director for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.