4 UH alumni appointed to state’s Board of Education | University of Hawaiʻi System News

March 30, 2022
UH News

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4 headshots — Damien “Kaimana” Barcarse, Ken Kuraya, Lauren Moriarty and Bruce Voss.

Four of five appointees to the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education are University of Hawaiʻi alumni. They include two reappointments and two new members.

“The highly skilled people I’ve selected to be on the Board of Education bring a range of experiences that will contribute to a public education system that delivers results for the people of Hawaiʻi,” said Gov. David Ige.

Damien “Kaimana” Barcarse is being reappointed to the Hawaiʻi County seat for a three-year term. A graduate of UH Hilo, Barcarse earned a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Studies and a master’s degree in Hawaiian Language and Literature. Barcarse currently serves as catalytic initiatives for Kamehameha Schools and is also a DJ and program producer of Alana I Kai Hikina, a radio show which broadcasts entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi on KWXX-FM.

Ken Kuraya is being appointed to complete the three-year term of Catherine Payne’s at-large seat, which runs through June 30, 2024. Kuraya, who earned a Secondary School Teacher Certificate and School Administrator Certification from the UH Mānoa College of Education, is an educator who served for 40 years in various roles within the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, from the classroom to the administration.

Lauren Moriarty is being appointed to complete Lyla Berg’s three-year term in a City and County of Honolulu seat, which runs through June 30, 2024. Moriarty, who earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from UH Mānoa, is a former U.S. Ambassador, career diplomat, and Dean of Academics at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She was the first U.S. Ambassador of Native Hawaiian ancestry.

Bruce Voss is being reappointed to an at-large seat for a three-year term. Voss is an alumnus of the William S. Richardson School of Law at UH Mānoa. He is a partner with the law firm of Bays Lung Rose & Holma, specializing in business, real estate and employment law and litigation.