After serving as RCUH’s Director of Human Resources for more than 30 years, Nelson Sakamoto has officially announced his retirement. Director Sakamoto’s last day in office will be Friday, May 20, 2022.

“On behalf of RCUH, I’d like to congratulate Nelson on his retirement and thank him for his years of service and his commitment to serving Hawai‘i’s research community,” said Executive Director Lenny Gouveia. “RCUH has been fortunate to have had Nelson at the helm of the Human Resources Department for so many years, but now is the time for him to kick back, relax, and enjoy life outside of RCUH. Although these will be big shoes to fill, we are excited to start a new chapter with the incoming director.”

Kira Higa has been named incoming Director of Human Resources, effective May 9, 2022. She previously worked at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and has held various roles at Hawaiian Telcom for the past 13 years, most recently as HR Director. Ms. Higa also serves on the Hawaii Workforce Development Council and is a graduate of the Patsy T. Mink Wahine Leadership Cohort.

“We are pleased to welcome Kira to the RCUH ‘ohana and have high hopes for her in this position,” Gouveia said.