The University of Hawaii Board of Regents oversees and manages the entire 10 campus UH system—a sprawling billion-dollar state enterprise.  One of its most important responsibilities is to hire a chief executive officer, the UH President, to execute on Regents’ directives and manage daily affairs at UH.

In 2024, instead of embracing calls for openness in the hiring process, the Regents shut the public out.  The board met over two days in closed session to interview the two final candidates for UH President and deliberate on who to choose and what compensation to offer.  Weeks later, the Regents again met in secret to hire the sole candidate, without recruitment, for a new position of “special advisor” to the UH President.  In October 2025, the Regents yet again convened in executive session to evaluate the UH President.  These actions cut against the core tenant of the Sunshine Law, which requires government decision making to be as open as possible.

On April 15, 2026, Public First challenged the Regents’ conduct.  In addition to identifying several other Sunshine Law violations, the complaint alleges that the Regents improperly used open meeting exemptions to hire the UH President and her Special Adviser, and later evaluate the UH president’s first year of performance, entirely behind closed doors.  The case will be heard by the Honorable Shirley M. Kawamura.  No. 1CCV-26-569.