Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hta Leadership 90day Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Interim HTA CEO outlines 90‑day plan, says permanent CEO search could take months
Summary
Caroline Anderson, appointed interim CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority in April, presented a 90‑day action plan to the House and Senate tourism committees and described steps to close overdue invoices, revise policies and rebuild trust while the agency awaits a permanent CEO.
Caroline Anderson, the interim chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, told a joint informational briefing of the House Committee on Tourism and the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism that she was appointed by the HTA board on April 14 and would serve only until a permanent CEO is selected.
Anderson summarized a 90‑day action plan that she said began in April and is intended to stabilize HTA operations rather than to transform the agency. Key goals she listed were restoring staff cohesion, eliminating overdue invoices, identifying contractor issues, revising policies and procedures, improving board efficiency, filling vacant positions and building an administrative framework to manage the Hawaii Convention Center rooftop repair project.
"I accept responsibility for the DMAPs," Anderson said during the briefing, and she added that she directed staff to review the state auditor’s findings and has shared the results with the HTA board. She told lawmakers she intends to ‘‘identify the problem, gather information and communicate about the problem with HTA stakeholders ... identify and implement a solution, and then move on to the next problem.’’
Todd Apoll, the HTA board chair, told legislators he expected the permanent CEO selection to be complete within roughly four months and that the board has restarted a previously paused search firm contract. Apoll said the position’s job description needed revision after recent state law changes affecting compensation and reporting lines, and he added the board is prepared to provide additional interim support to Anderson and the staff.
Anderson and Apoll also reported operational progress under the 90‑day plan: weekly staff meetings have been instituted, a public affairs officer was hired in June, overdue invoices have been reduced to zero as of mid‑June, and several vacant positions are in the final stages of recruitment. Anderson said the RFP for the convention center rooftop project management is out and that construction remains on track to begin January 1 (schedule noted by HTA staff). The agency said more complete documentation on outstanding issues will be provided to the committees on request.
Lawmakers pressed the HTA leadership for details and documentation about contracts, outstanding payments and staffing. Several committee members said they will expect written follow‑ups on the items discussed during the briefing, including the CEO search timeline and the 90‑day action plan deliverables.
