Arnold Laanui Jr., a former FBI special agent and a 1986 graduate of Damien Memorial School, has been named the Kalihi Catholic school’s president.
“Returning to my alma mater as the next president and CEO of Damien Memorial School fills my heart with the deepest sense of obligation, humility and joy,” Laanui said in a statement. “To serve our students, our faculty, our staff, our parents, and our graduates in this capacity will stand among the highest kudos of my professional life. I am deeply honored for the opportunity to ‘come home’ and to share the best of who I am with Damien.”
Laanui had worked for the state Department of
Education since 2020 as
a director of extensions, then a district education specialist, according to his LinkedIn profile. He worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1995 to 2019, solving crimes, serving as a member of FBI SWAT, receiving Hawaii’s Top Cop award and teaching as an FBI advanced instructor and adjunct faculty member of the FBI Academy.
Laanui holds a Doctor
of Education degree from the University of Southern California, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pepperdine University, said a statement from Damien.
Kyle J. Atabay, who has served as both head of school and principal since 2020, will resume his original role as principal.
Damien had been
without a president since the school abruptly announced in June 2020
that Brother Brian Walsh would not return to the
position. While no official reason for Walsh’s dismissal was given, it followed controversies regarding the elimination of many of the school’s athletic staff positions and threatened limits on graduation ceremonies.
Damien Memorial
School is a Catholic coeducational school serving grades 6-12 that was established in 1962 originally
as an all-boys high school. In 2004, Damien opened
its middle school, and in 2012 welcomed its first female students. It is one of 18 Catholic schools and colleges within the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America Consortium.
