LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i made things official on Monday with the swearing in of Reiko Matsuyama as the county’s new managing director before a large audience that included a lot of the county’s department heads and staff.
“We are excited to have Reiko officially take the helm in her new role as managing director,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. “With her skill set, years of leadership experience, and dedication to our community, we are confident she will help move our initiatives forward and continue to be an incredible asset to our team.”
Matsuyama will replace Michael A. Dahilig, who will be joining Sen. Brian Schatz’s staff in September.
She joined the County of Kaua‘i in January 2019 when she was appointed as Director of Finance during Kawakami’s first term in office. Prior to that, Matsuyama was the Director of Finance for Grove Farm Company, Inc., and served as the Senior Auditor for Deloitte &Touche LLP before joining Grove Farm.
“Reiko is an extremely hard worker, and we’ve seen the tremendous impact she’s made over the past four years, not just in the operations of the finance
department, but also in our people,” said Kawakami in an announcement about the managing director.
“The decision to bring her on board was an easy one, and we are excited to see her continue to grow and thrive in this new capacity as our managing director. I’m excited.”
Born and raised on Kaua‘i, Matsuyama graduated from Kaua‘i High School and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Accounting with a minor in Economics from Southern Oregon University.
She continued on to graduate with a Master’s of Accountancy from the University of Oregon.
Over the past 15 years, Matsuyama has served on numerous boards in the community, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kaua‘i, the Kiwanis Club of Kaua‘i, the Kaua‘i Economic Development Board and as a trustee for the State of Hawai‘i Deferred Compensation Plan.
She was also a coach for the Kaua‘i High School Varsity Girls Soccer program, Waimea High School Cross-Country, and an alumni of the Leadership Kaua‘i Program and Pacific Century Fellows Program.
“I am humbled and honored to continue serving the County of Kaua‘i, and I am grateful to Mayor Kawakami, my family, and our entire team of county associates for this opportunity to make a difference in our community,” Matsuyama said. “Thank you, also, to Managing Director Michael Dahilig for his guidance and help in making this a smooth transition for our office and staff.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Sounds top notch! Should be great in that position.