Hawaii Medical Service Association has hired two high-profile former state employees.

Kathryn Matayoshi, former superintendent of the Department of Education, was hired to lead the sales team, and former state Rep. Pono Chong is joining Hawaii’s largest health plan as a lobbyist.

Matayoshi, a lawyer, was named senior vice president of account relationship management, and Chong has become vice president of government relations.

Matayoshi was executive director of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, worked as chief of staff at the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and led the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. She also has worked as an attorney for Hawaiian Electric Co. and the firm Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel.

Chong came to HMSA from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

U.S. consumer confidence decreases in December

WASHINGTON >> Americans were a bit less confident about the economy this month than they were in November, but their spirits remained high overall during the holiday shopping season.

The Conference Board said Wednesday that its consumer confidence index dipped to 122.1 in December from a revised 128.6 in November.

“Despite the decline in confidence, consumers’ expectations remain at historically strong levels, suggesting economic growth will continue well into 2018,” said Conference Board economist Lynn Franco.

The business research group’s index measures consumers’ assessment of current conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Their view of today’s conditions rose to the highest level since June 2001. But their expectations were the lowest since November 2016.

Economists watch the Conference Board report closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic output.

ON THE MOVE

>> Primary Residential Mortgage has announced that May Cabusas has joined their company as a senior loan officer, who will continue originating residential loans. Cabusas has numerous experience in tax preparation, accounting and real estate and was previously working with Mortgage Associates of Hawaii (MAHi Loans).

>> Carlsmith Ball has announced that Tina Tsuchiyama is a new associate in the firm’s Honolulu office. While she was attending University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law in Honolulu, Tsuchiyama worked as a research assistant for property law Professor David Callies as well as a legal extern to Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald. As a law student, she also participated in Carlsmith Ball’s associate program during the summer.