{"id":222222,"date":"2025-09-18T10:44:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T20:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=222222"},"modified":"2025-09-18T10:45:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T20:45:30","slug":"uh-governors-awards-nominees-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/18\/uh-governors-awards-nominees-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> nominees for governor\u2019s awards honored"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"word<\/p>\n

The University of Hawaiʻi\u2019s<\/span> Roy Suda, Carol Oshiro and Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program have been selected as the university\u2019s nominees for the Governor\u2019s Awards for Distinguished State Service. The award honors the state\u2019s executive branch employees and managers who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawaiʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Manager of the Year: Roy Suda<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Roy Suda, center, presented award by Board of Regents Chair Gabriel Lee, left, and President Wendy Hensel, right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roy Suda demonstrated exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment through 31 years as an IT<\/abbr> manager in enrollment management. Those who nominated him noted that he fosters accountability and timely project completion through excellent management, while empowering his team to high engagement. He is dedicated to ensuring data security and fostering community involvement in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n

From ensuring the seamless operation of critical enrollment systems to spearheading innovative projects that directly benefit students and the institution, Suda\u2019s exceptional management, drive for innovation and unwavering commitment to data security underscore his profound impact. His leadership has not only elevated the IT<\/abbr> infrastructure but has also significantly contributed to the university\u2019s overall effectiveness and the success of its students.<\/p>\n

Suda is a leader who cultivates a culture of excellence by leading by example, demonstrating an exceptional work ethic and fostering a supportive and innovative environment. He is a dedicated mentor who invests in his team’s professional growth and encourages self-advancement and career progression opportunities.<\/p>\n

His ability to effectively balance critical priorities demonstrates management excellence. He ensures that vital systems supporting critical departments are up-to-date, and vulnerabilities are promptly addressed.<\/p>\n

Employee of the Year: Carol Oshiro<\/h2>\n
\"2
Carol Oshiro, center, give award by Board of Regents Chair Gabriel Lee, left, and President Wendy Hensel, right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carol Oshiro is the strategic initiatives manager of the 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) and is instrumental in ensuring the smooth operation of the dean’s office. Oshiro has dedicated more than 20 years to CTAHR<\/abbr>, beginning as a student assistant during her undergraduate studies. Throughout her tenure, she has led numerous initiatives that significantly enriched the academic experience for students, fostering collaborative projects and mentorship programs.<\/p>\n

Oshiro is the chief designer and implementer of CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s exemplary Shared Services unit, which has filled the gap created by the loss of more than 10 staff positions in various departments and county offices. The Shared Services unit addresses the urgent need for streamlined fiscal processes, ensuring no critical financial functions are neglected.<\/p>\n

Oshiro implemented CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s new scholarship procedures to improve efficiency. She played a pivotal role in awarding more than $1.2 million in scholarships over the past five years; many of these scholarships were neglected prior to her arrival, enhancing accessibility to education for countless students.<\/p>\n

She also redesigned recruitment materials to increase awareness of CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s academic programs and boost student enrollment\u2014helping to increase undergraduate enrollment by 2.5% and graduate enrollment by 6%.<\/p>\n

Team of the Year: CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program<\/h2>\n
\"large
The Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program team members.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program<\/a> (SOAP<\/abbr>) at 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa has achieved remarkable success in advancing sustainable agriculture. They secured more $4.5 million in grants, enabling innovative projects that improve soil health and crop quality. The team is comprised of Theodore Radovich, Amjad Ahmad, Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite, Emilie R. Kirk, Eric Collier, Jari Sugano, Jennifer Hawkins, Jensen Uyeda, Joshua Silva, Kylie Wong, Lara Kalilimoku and Sharon Motomura-Wages.<\/p>\n

Through partnerships with local organizations, SOAP<\/abbr> trains more than 200 farmers annually, enhancing local food systems. Their hands-on workshops and educational resources support both novice and experienced growers. The program\u2019s efforts have led to economic growth, reduced agricultural input costs and improved environmental resilience. By integrating research and community engagement, SOAP<\/abbr> exemplifies a commitment to sustainability in Hawaiʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

SOAP<\/abbr>\u2019s applied research includes pioneering work on replacing imported fertilizers, improving soil health and selecting varieties for dozens of high-value and culturally significant crops, such as sweet potato, taro and turmeric. Research-based, place-specific resources on cover cropping, organic pest control, composting and soil health management have also been developed.<\/p>\n

The program supports Student Organic Farm Training (SOFT<\/abbr>), GoFarm and Master Gardener programs, as well as the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Farm Bureau and the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Farmers Union. SOFT<\/abbr> also holds hands-on training programs and facilitates strategic partnership-building with local non-profits, schools and government agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roy Suda, Carol Oshiro and Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program have been selected as the university\u2019s nominees for the Governor\u2019s Awards for Distinguished State Service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[698,9,947],"class_list":["post-222222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-staff-recognition","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uh-system","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222222"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222294,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222222\/revisions\/222294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}