(BIVN) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee for Hawaiʻi island is stepping down.

OHA Trustee Keola Lindsey has announced that he is vacating his position effective Tuesday, February 1. The OHA Board of Trustees received a letter of resignation from Lindsey which stated that “he is leaving his position to focus on the well-being of his ʻohana.”

“My colleagues and I offer our heartfelt mahalo to Trustee Lindsey for his service to the lāhui and we wish nothing but the best for him and his ‘ohana,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey.

From the Office of Hawaiian Affairs:

Lindsey was elected to his first term in office in November 2020. He is a former OHA staff member who last served the agency as chief advocate before being elected trustee. He also served as OHA’s inaugural Papahānaumokuākea program manager and was elected to serve as chair by fellow co-trustees of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Management Board.

During his time in office, Lindsey served as the vice chair of the OHA Board of Trustees’ Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment Committee. He also led the Board’s Permitted Interaction Group which dealt with audit reviews for the agency. Lindsey also brought attention to the need for disaster response for Native Hawaiians affected by the fires in Waimea, and he advocated for the protection of Hawaiʻiʻs natural and cultural resources.

The Board will take action in February to fill the vacancy as outlined under state law. OHA’s Board of Trustees will have 60 days to appoint a new trustee for Hawaiʻi Island, who will serve in the position until the next Hawaiʻi state general election in November 2022.