Mayor Caldwell appoints Roy Amemiya to be Managing Director, effective January

Ember Shinn will stay with Caldwell Administration through March to assist with budget proposal, strategic development office

Roy Amemiya                     Ember Shinn

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, November 28, 2014

HONOLULU – Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced today that he will appoint Roy Amemiya to be Managing Director of the City and County of Honolulu, effective on January 1, 2015.

Ember Shinn will remain Managing Director until December 31st, then transition to a part time position to continue working on the administration’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal, the new Office of Strategic Development, and a number of other priorities.

Roy Amemiya is currently CEO and President of ‘Olelo Community Television. Roy returns to the city after leading the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services under Mayor Jeremy Harris from 1997 to 2000. In his private sector career, he was Senior Vice President of Central Pacific Bank (formerly City Bank) from 2001 to 2010 and Vice President of Bank of Hawaii from 1997 to 1996.

Born and raised in Wahiawa, Amemiya went to Leilehua High School and graduated from college at Purdue University. He received a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa and later completed the Pacific Coast Banking School with honors.

“I’m looking forward to working with Mayor Caldwell to ensure that his priorities move forward, and to work with a hard-working cabinet on the many day-to-day city issues,” said Roy Amemiya. “I want to thank the staff and the Board of Directors at ‘Olelo Community Television for their dedication and hard work. It will be difficult to leave an organization that provides such great community service. At this time, my first priority will be to make sure that there is a smooth transition here for the next President and CEO.

“A lot of important and exciting work is being done at the city, especially in building a strong infrastructure for future generations. Public service has been a rewarding part of my career, and I want to thank Mayor Caldwell for this opportunity.”

When Mayor Caldwell appointed Ember Shinn to be Managing Director before taking office last year, she became the first woman in the history of the City & County of Honolulu to hold that key management position. Shinn also served as the executive assistant to Acting Mayor Caldwell in 2010.

Shinn has over twenty years of experience practicing law in California where she represented public and private entities in public law and employment litigation. She served as General Counsel for Oakland Unified School District and the Peralta Community College District. Shinn returned home to Hawaii in 2001, retired from the practice of law, and worked for the State House of Representatives as staff attorney for the Judiciary Committee and as special assistant and Chief of Staff for the Speaker of the House.

“I am honored to have served with Mayor Caldwell during the first two years of his administration.  When he plucked me from retirement and I committed to working with him for two years, he asked me to ‘just start’ working on his priorities.  I feel that I’ve accomplished this and will leave the city with a strong foundation to move forward on the Mayor’s priorities.”

“Ember and I have worked together for many years since our days in the House of Representatives, and she is one of the most hard-working, talented, and competent people I have ever known,” said Mayor Caldwell. “I am truly grateful that she left retirement to manage the city for our administration for two full years, and that she has agreed to stay with us to finalize next year’s budget and launch our new strategic development office.  I’ve also asked her to continue her public service by serving on a board or commission, and I will announce that appointment at a later date. From instituting zero-based budgeting, launching Housing First, to moving forward our priorities of road repaving, bus route restoration, park improvements, and sewer upgrades, Ember has made a mark on the city that will benefit residents for many years to come.”

“Roy Amemiya knows the city well, having effectively managed the city’s fiscal services department for several years, and he brings valuable private sector banking experience to the table. I’m looking forward to having him on our team.”

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