Veteran teacher, administrator, union and student advocate Ann Mahi will soon take on a new role as executive director for the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) at the beginning of August.
Mahi's hiring was recently approved by the HSTA board of directors.
"HSTA provides me a wonderful opportunity to be able to work with those who are right there on the front lines and to be able to support them with what they need in order to do the work that will impact the lives of the next generation and the future of Hawaii," Mahi said in a HSTA news release.
Mahi has experience with the Hawaii Department of Education, including many years of teaching, leadership and administrative positions. She also has decades of teaching experience as a union leader in Hawaii Government Employees Association's Unit 6.
"I've had the pleasure of knowing Ann Mahi for many years, and she's always been a passionate and tireless advocate for the keiki of Hawaii and will serve HSTA well with her extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Hawaii State Department of Education," Osa Tui, Jr., president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said, according to the news release.
Mahi said she's learned a lot through her years of experience in various roles of education and will bring that knowledge to her new position as HSTA executive director.
"I understand how to navigate through a lot of those different issues that come up, from personnel to facilities to budget and academic issues that impact our teachers and their ability to provide excellent learning opportunities for our haumana (students)," Mahi said, according to the news release.
Mahi will take over the executive director role from Wilbert Holck, who is retiring after more than 31 years with HSTA. She will oversee the 44 employees who work for HSTA on four islands and the union's annual operating budget of $12 million.
The HSTA represents 13,500 public school teachers across the state of Hawaii. The union's mission is to best represent and support teachers in collective bargaining, as well as legislative and professional development issues.