Robert K. Lindsey Jr. of Hawaii island was unanimously selected chairman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees on Tuesday, and he didn’t waste any time responding to criticism leveled at the agency by a former member.

Lindsey said Oswald Stender was irresponsible and unfair when he told Hawaii News Now on Monday that OHA is not working for its beneficiaries as it should and that the fault lies with its leadership.

The former Kamehameha Schools trustee and retiring 14-year OHA trustee added that the current board is incapable of fixing the problem.

Lindsey said the board on his watch will always work on behalf of the best interests of OHA’s beneficiaries.

"Under my leadership I will be swift and aggressive in hitting back if our positions are misrepresented in the media or anywhere else," he said.

Also at Tuesday’s reorganization meeting, Dan Ahuna, the trustee representing Kauai and Niihau, was unanimously voted vice chairman.

A formal investiture will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Central Union Church in Honolulu for the five recently elected OHA trustees beginning their new, four-year terms.

Last month Colette Machado, who has two years remaining on her term, announced she was stepping down as board chairwoman. On Tuesday, she said she did so in hopes of avoiding "a push and pull at the (board) table."

While there was no controversy over Lindsey’s selection Tuesday, there was a bit of a dustup when it came to the 5-4 vote that installed Lindsey’s slate of committee leadership positions.

Rowena Akana will lead the Committee on Asset and Resource Management, along with committee Vice Chairman John Waihee IV. Waihee will also lead the Committee on Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment with Vice Chairman Peter Apo. Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey will continue to head the Committee on Land and Property, with Ahuna as vice chairman.

Machado expressed disappointment that she and others who didn’t get a leadership role were frozen out. She and trustee Haunani Apoliona objected to Akana’s chairmanship, citing her litigation against the board alleging open-meeting and public records violations.

Robert Lindsey, a former Kamehameha Schools land agent and state legislator, said he would consider creating more committees to open up new leadership spots.

"We need to paddle our canoe, all nine of us, together. The more we paddle together, the stronger we will be," he said.

Robert Lindsey also urged trustees to be responsive to the needs of all Native Hawaiians.