Hawaii Tourism Authority has appointed its first native Hawaiian as CEO and President.
John De Fries has accepted the offer to become new tourism chief and takes up the position next week.
He brings more than 40 years of experience in tourism and resort development and was previously Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.
"All of us at HTA are looking forward to having John take the helm of Hawaii’s visitor industry. I was pleased to see that he has already become involved with working on ways that we can safely reopen tourism while keeping Covid-19 under control," said HTA Chair Rick Fried.
De Fries serves as an advisor and board member of many Hawaii organizations including Bishop Museum, Hawaii Green Growth, Friends of the Future, and the Keahole Center for Sustainability.
Keith Regan, HTA’s chief administrative officer, is currently serving as interim President & CEO after former CEO Chris Tatum departed on 31 August.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US editor
