(BIVN) – Susan Kazama, born and raised in Hilo, has been recommended to be the next Hawaiʻi Community College chancellor.

Kazama has been serving as the interim chancellor at Hawaiʻi CC since July 1, 2023. The effective date of her appointment as the next chancellor will be July 19, 2024.

Kazama was among four finalists chosen for the job. The recommendation of Kazama to UH President David Lassner was made by University of Hawaiʻi Vice President for Community Colleges, Erika Lacro.

“Susan Kazama is a home-grown chancellor who is dedicated to serving the diverse communities of the Hawaiʻi Island,” said Lacro in a news release. “She brings her broad experience and commitment to the University of Hawaiʻi to the position, and she will continue the work of this past year of reaching out to the local employers to ensure Hawaiʻi Community College is training students for the local workforce needs.”

Kazama graduated from Waiākea High School and earned a masters in library science and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UH Mānoa.

From a University of Hawaiʻi news release:

Kazama has been serving as the interim chancellor at Hawaiʻi CC since July 1, 2023. She began her work in the UH System in 1987, starting as a librarian at UH Maui College and Honolulu CC. She spent 12 years at UH Mānoa’s Hamilton Library before accepting the library director position at Kapiʻolani CC in 2001. She served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs at Kapiʻolani CC and Honolulu CC until 2021, when she became a program coordinator for continuing education at Kapiʻolani CC. She also served on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges for seven years, including three years as the chair, past chair and vice chair.

“I am so grateful to have this opportunity to return home and serve the kauhale (group of houses comprising a Hawaiian home) and the community that I grew up in,” Kazama said in the UH news release. “Hawaiʻi Community College offers not only access to higher education, but also workforce training for our community members who want to reskill and upskill for a higher paying job. I look forward to working with the dedicated faculty, staff, administrators and our community, to continue supporting our students and ensuring everyone who wants to pursue higher education has the opportunity to do so.”