Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced today his selection of former television reporter Tim Sakahara as his communications director.

Sakahara, currently the communications director for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, will step into his role with the City and County of Honolulu on Tuesday.

“Tim Sakahara brings a very real depth and breadth of knowledge and experience in both government and media to lead our communications team,” Blangiardi said in a news release. “In our commitment to best serve and communicate vital information to our residents, Tim is an extraordinary and gifted communicator. We are all very grateful and excited Tim has accepted this very challenging role.”

Prior to joining HDOT in January 2015, Sakahara was a journalist for 17 years, which included a stint at Hawaii News Now under Blangiardi, who was general manager at the time.

He has also reported in television markets in California, Oklahoma and Oregon, where in addition to covering government and legislative stories, his assignments included chasing tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis.

Sakahara, a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in political science, is active in the community and volunteers for various educational and charitable organizations, according to the mayor’s office.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the community, while rejoining my former boss, Mayor Blangiardi, whom I have great respect for,” said Sakahara in the news release. “I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with HDOT and look forward to working for the City and County of Honolulu and communicating the new administration’s mission and goals to the public in a positive, transparent and effective manner.”