HONOLULU — A Kamehameha Schools trustee has stepped down from the board after a judge rejected her bid for a second term.
HONOLULU — A Kamehameha Schools trustee has stepped down from the board after a judge rejected her bid for a second term.
Trustee Janeen-Ann Olds resigned from her position Thursday. She served for five years as a board member of Kamehameha Schools, which educates nearly 50,000 native Hawaiians.
“As I have had the privilege to represent Kamehameha Schools as a trustee, I have often had the best seat in the house,” she said in a statement issued Thursday. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the trust and I wish nothing but the best for the Kamehameha Schools.”
Hours before she stepped down, Probate Judge Derrick Chan rejected Olds’ bid for a second five-year term following recommendations from her fellow trustees and alumni of the trust.
Olds is also the CEO of Sandwich Isles Communications, whose founder, Albert Hee, was convicted of looting the company in July. Although Olds never faced any criminal charges, her opponents said she should have been more critical of Hee’s illegal activities.
“At the end of the day, we were concerned about the impact on the reputation of Kamehameha Schools. Kamehameha Schools is more important than any of us individually,” said Robert Nobriga, chairman of the board of trustees.
Several graduates, including former Kamehameha Schools trustee Douglas Ing and Lunalilo Homes trustee Kamani Kualaau, had sent a letter to the state Probate Court, calling on the court to reject Olds’ reappointment.
Olds’ attorney, Lex Smith, said her client was denied reappointment because of efforts by a vocal minority.
“We’re disappointed as I told the court we did not feel there was a reason not to reappoint Mrs. Olds,” Smith said.
Olds’ term would have ended in January.