A former senior trial lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice and law school professor will serve as Damien Memorial School’s new president and CEO.
Wes Reber Porter, 42, succeeds the retiring Bernard Ho, who headed the school for nine years. Ho, a retired Hawaii Medical Service Association executive, turned the Catholic prep school for grades six-12 into a coed campus in 2012 after 49 years as an all-boys school. The switch doubled enrollment over a period of four years. Ho also initiated the largest facilities expansion project in school history at the Kalihi campus, according to a news release.
Porter will work with Ho on the leadership transition after Damien graduates its first coed class in May.
Porter, who grew up in New England, most recently served as a chief coordinating officer for Academic Program Strategy and as an adviser to the president of Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He was a tenured professor and directed the Litigation Center of the university’s law school.
Porter also has served as a visiting professor of law at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law.
Before entering academia, Porter was a trial attorney for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice Department. He was also an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, a judge advocate general for the Navy at Pearl Harbor and an enforcement attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in San Francisco.
He holds a juris doctorate from Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.
Fair in Kailua helps people prepare for disasters
An Emergency Preparedness Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Keolu Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1461 Kanapuu Drive, across from Keolu Skate Park in Kailua.
The Kaneohe Hawaii Stake Emergency Preparedness Committee is sponsoring the free event, which will focus on readiness for natural and man-made disasters.
Personnel from various organizations will be available to answer questions, including the American Red Cross, Hawaiian Humane Society, Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department, state Department of Land and Natural Resources Flood Insurance Program, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and more.
The Police Department will provide keiki and kupuna ID cards from 9 to 11 a.m. A gardening class will be at 9:30 a.m. and a sanitation class at 11 a.m. The first 300 adults entering the main doors fronting Keolu Drive will receive a free reusable bag.
For more information, email coordinator Frencha Kalilimoku at frencha2009@yahoo.com or call 259-7222.
Event addresses ‘epidemic of mass incarceration’
Interfaith Communities in Action and the Hawaii Island Association of the United Church of Christ are organizing an event at which a panel of state lawmakers and others will discuss factors tied to the “epidemic of mass incarceration,” which includes the arrest and imprisonment of a disproportionate number of people of color, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders, according to a news release.
The event is set for 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 16 at Church of the Holy Cross, 440 W. Lanikaula St. Sen. Russell Ruderman (D, Pahoa) and Rep. Clift Tsuji (D, Hilo-Glenwood) are expected to participate. Following the discussion, faith communities and individuals may comment on what they can do to make changes in the criminal justice system.
For addition information, contact Sue Smith at sesmith@hawaii.rr.com or call 969-3729.
Class examines Buddhism in a Christian culture
The Rev. Sherman Thompson is teaching a class that explores how Buddhism fits into a Christian culture.
The four-part class for the Buddhist Study Center started April 3 and will continue on Sundays at 3 p.m. until April 24 at the center, 1436 University Ave.
Born and raised in Lahaina, in a Hawaiian and Japanese Shin Buddhist family, Thompson attended Kamehameha Schools on Oahu from sixth through 12th grades, where he began his path to Christianity. He is an ordained United Church of Christ minister and officiates as a kahu for Hawaiian ceremonies. Thompson currently serves as a Kamehameha Schools chaplain.
The class costs $20, but those who start attending this week will be charged a prorated amount; tuition assistance is available. Call 973-6555 to register.
Discounts available for upcoming Passover meals
Kamaaina and group discounts are available through this weekend for Passover (Pesach) meals slated for April 22 and 23 at Chabad of Hawaii.
The community Seder will feature hand-baked “shmurah” matzo, wine and a “gourmet dinner spiced with unique traditional customs,” according to a Chabad news release.
Chabad, at 410 Atkinson Drive in the Ala Moana Hotel, will hold its First Seder at 7:30 p.m. April 22 and Second Seder at 7:45 p.m. April 23. Kama- aina adult prices are $60 before Monday and $75 after; kamaaina child, $50 and $60, respectively. For reservations, visit 808ne.ws/1oH163H.
Package deals are also available for communal meals after evening services April 24-30. To RSVP and see a full schedule of Passover serv-ices, visit 808ne.ws/1ULPSJz. For more information, call 735-8161 or email info@chabadofhawaii.com.
