The process of hiring the University of Hawaii’s next athletic director is underway with the enlistment of a national search firm and the formation of a 10-member search committee, UH president Wendy Hensel announced Wednesday.
UH is seeking a replacement for Craig Angelos, who was fired as athletic director after 18 months. Angelos, whose last day of UH employment was Dec. 1, 2024, received severance pay of $87,000 — a fourth of his $348,000 annual salary. As an at-will employee, Angelos did not have a contract and reported directly to David Lassner, who retired as UH president Dec. 31, 2024.
The search committee begins meeting this month and will work with Parker Executive Search, a national firm. According to a news release, PES will conduct “listening sessions” to gather community input, which will be used to “develop the position description and candidate profile.”
The goal is to conduct finalist interviews in late May and announce the new hire by mid to late summer, according to the release. The search committee members are:
>> Gabriel Lee — Chair, UH Board of Regents
>> Jack Tsui — Chairman, Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation
>> Peter Ho — Chairman and CEO, Bank of Hawaii
>> Tita Ahuna — Former UH women’s volleyball player, Punahou School athletic director
>> Artie Wilson — Former UH men’s basketball player; Spectrum Sports analyst, and founder, Artie Wilson &Associates
>> Michele Nagamine — UH women’s soccer coach
>> Susan Eichor — CEO of aio
>> James Tokioka — Director, Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
>> Scott Sinnett — Faculty Athletic Representative, UH Manoa
>> Leslie Campaniano — Chair, ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue; Member, Hawaii Bowl Executive Committee
Lee and Tsui will serve as co-chairs of the search committee. Lee’s participation fulfills the regents’ request to have more involvement in hiring the new athletic director.
Hensel will make the final decision.
“As Hawaii’s only NCAA Division I program, UH Manoa athletics plays a crucial role in our state’s sports culture and economy,” Hensel said in the release. “We need an athletics director who is not only a strategic and dynamic leader but also a strong fundraiser who can navigate the many challenges ahead, including the lack of a Division I football stadium.”
The Rainbow Warriors have been playing their home football games at the Ching Complex on the Manoa campus since 2021 after Aloha Stadium was shuttered for spectator-attended events because of structural concerns.
