Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital have a new chief executive officer.
Anna Chiotti was selected to replace regional CEO Jay Kreuzer, who will retire as CEO on Dec. 31. Kreuzer will remain involved in strategic planning for the region next year, while Chiotti assumes the role on Jan. 2.
Chiotti, a nurse leader by training, has worked in health care leadership roles for more than 30 years, particularly in hospital management at Providence Healthcare, San Ramon Regional Medical Center, California Pacific Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente.
Kona Community Hospital, established in 1914, has 94 beds and offers acute care with 24-hour emergency services, while Kohala Hospital is a critical access facility with acute and long-term care and a 24-hour ER for the North Kohala community.
The hospitals are operated by the quasi-public health care system Hawaii Health Systems Corp.
MECO calls for renewable-energy projects
Maui Electric Co. is starting the largest procurement for renewable-energy resources on Molokai and Lanai in an attempt to reduce the reliance on imported oil for power generation and move the state closer to its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.
The utility is issuing a request for proposals for renewable energy paired with energy storage from developers locally and globally. Details are at www.mauielectric.com/molokaicompetitivebidding and www.mauielectric.com/lanai competitivebidding.
Estimated targets being sought for Molokai are the equivalent of approximately 4 megawatts of solar or 3.6 MW of small wind, specified as turbines 100 kilowatts or less, and paired with energy storage. A portion of the Maui Electric-owned Molokai property at Palaau is also being offered to proposers as a potential development site.
On Lanai the company is seeking renewable-energy generation equivalent up to 9.5 MW of solar paired with energy storage on land owned by Pulama Lanai.
Pending negotiations of contracts and final approvals, the renewable generation projects from these RFPs would come online in 2023. The proposal due date for Molokai and Lanai is Jan. 31. Go to the website for more information.
ON THE MOVE
Bank of Hawaii has announced the following vice president appointments:
>> Christopher Abbott as vice president and affordable housing manager at the bank’s Commercial Real Estate Lending Division, previously vice president of community investments for American Savings Bank for six years. Abbott’s experience also includes serving as a senior legislative aide for U.S. Rep. Ed Case for nearly three years and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for more than two years, also in Washington.
>> Bryson Chang to vice president at the bank’s Pearlridge Commercial Banking Center from assistant vice president. Chang joined the bank in 2015 as a commercial credit analyst and was promoted to his current position in 2017.
