HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today announced she has selected five individuals to immediately replace University of Hawai‘i regents who have been serving as holdovers.  The names will be submitted to the Hawai‘i State Senate for its advice and consent when it convenes later this month. 
The five new regents selected by the Governor are:

Dr. Ramon de la Pena will serve as the regent from the County of Kaua‘i for a four-year term that expires on June 30, 2012.  An emeritus professor and agronomist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, de la Pena has served on the Board of Regents since September 2004.  When his term expired on June 30, 2008, the Governor named de la Pena as a holdover regent.
Mark Fukunaga will serve as one of five regents from the City and County of Honolulu.  Fukunaga, chairman and CEO of Servco Pacific, Inc., will serve a term that expires on June 30, 2011.
Dr. Chuck Gee, former dean of the University of Hawai‘i School of Travel Industry Management, will serve as one of five regents from the City and County of Honolulu.  Gee will serve a term that expires on June 30, 2010. 
Eric Martinson, managing director and vice president of Tradewind Capital Group, Inc., has also been appointed as one of five regents from the City and County of Honolulu.  Martinson’s term will expire on June 30, 2009.
Grant Teichman, a senior majoring in history and political science at the University of Hawai‘i, has been selected to serve as the student regent.  His term expires on June 30, 2010.

Since the Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s December 4, 2008 order that directed the Governor to select replacements for the six regents held over after their terms expired on June 30, 2008 from the list of qualified candidates presented to her by the Regents Candidate Advisory Council, two of the five candidates for the second at-large regent withdrew their names from consideration.  The Governor has filed a motion to stay the effect of the Dec. 4 order and a motion requesting additional time to secure replacement nominations from the Council from which to select a replacement for the at-large regent.  The Supreme Court has granted the motion for stay in order to consider the motion for additional time and any opposition that might be filed.

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