Gov. David Ige has selected Neil Hannahs, a former director in the land assets division for Kamehameha Schools, to serve on the seven-member Commission on Water Resource Management, which oversees state water planning.

Hannahs, who still needs Senate approval, would replace Jonathan Starr, whose term ends June 30.

Hannahs has been chosen to fill the seat reserved for a commissioner who has substantial experience in Native Hawaiian customary practices.

The water commission, one of the more powerful boards in the state, administers the state water code and is attached to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The commission is set to rule in the coming months on long-standing cases involving the allocation of water from dozens of streams that flow through East and Central Maui. Native Hawaiian taro farmers and environmentalists have been contesting the amount of water Alexander & Baldwin has been diverting from the streams.

Hannahs worked for Kamehameha Schools for 34 years, spending the last 15 years as director of strategic integration for the school’s land asset division, according to a copy of his resume provided by the Governor’s Office.

He is on the board of The Kohala Center, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, MA‘O Farms and Polynesian Voyaging Society. He’s also served as a trustee for Molokai General Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Center.

Hannahs is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master of Arts in secondary education from Stanford University.

Hannahs’ application for the unpaid position was reviewed by a three-person nominating committee that included Mahesh Cleveland, Yvonne Izu and Kealii Lopez.