AWARDS
Congratulations to the 2023 AWWA Hawaii Section Award Recipients!
Please congratulate them when you see them!
See Past Awardees at https://hiawwa.org/past-award-winners.
2023 George Warren Fuller Award Recipient
DEAN A. NAKANO
Dean Nakano is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Fuller Award. He has been an active member of AWWA for many years and is currently serving as the Pacific Rim Committee Chair.
The prestigious George Warren Fuller Award is presented annually to a member who has demonstrated distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of George Warren Fuller. Sound engineering skill, brilliant diplomatic talent and constructive leadership are a few of the characteristics used to described Mr. Fuller and are sought out when searching for the recipient of this distinguished award.
With an extensive list of experience, it is clear that Dean has demonstrated the skill, talent and leadership required for this award. Previous work experience includes service as the Acting Manager/Deputy Manager for the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the Hydrologic Planning Program Manager and Deputy Director for the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources - Commission on Water Resource Management, and Geothermal Project Manager for the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.
Dean is currently employed at Brown and Caldwell, an environmental engineering firm, that focuses on water, wastewater and environmental planning/design across North America and the Pacific. Dean’s integrity, care, competence, and passion for water and the environment is very evident. He understands what it means to provide exemplary service and goes the extra mile to make it a personal experience for those they interact with.
Congratulations to Dean Nakano, the recipient of the AWWA-Hawaii Section 2023 Fuller Award.§
By Ken Ota ~ Fuller Award Committee Chair
The Nomination Form for the 2024 Fuller Award can be downloaded here.
2023 Special Recognition Award Recipient
DARNELLE CHUNG
This award is given to members who have untiringly served the Section in some capacity during the past year.
Darnelle is an Operations Analyst at Akinaka & Associates, Ltd. She has co-chaired the Pacific Water Conference golf tournament for over eight years which has raised thousands of dollars to benefit the AWWA Hawaii Section and HWEA. She also volunteered on the publications committee for this year’s conference.
2023 Outstanding Section Member Recipient
LORNA HELLER
Lorna oversees the Water Conservation Branch at the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Water Resources Division. She has co-chaired the food booth at the annual Halawa Xeriscape Open House Plant Sale for the past 12 years. The funds raised are donated to the AWWA Water for People program. From 2015-2019, she co-chaired the social committee for the Pacific Water Conference. Lorna has co-chaired the biennial Water Reuse Conference from 2016-2022 and moved from the AWWA Hawaii Section BWS Trustee role (since 2018) to the Vice-Chair role this past year.
2023 Outstanding Section Member Recipient
KEN KAWAHARA
Ken is the President of Akinaka & Associates, Ltd. and is currently the Past President of the AWWA Hawaii Section. §
2023 Scholarship Award Recipients
KELLY MUKAI
Kelly is the daughter of Derek and Karen Mukai. She is a sophomore at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. Kelly is an Environmental Engineering Major and pursuing a certificate in Entrepreneurship.
During the summer of 2022, Kelly interned at Brown and Caldwell as an environmental engineering intern. Here she gained hands on experience in their Honolulu office and through field work opportunities. She spends her free time as a food delivery driver for Door Dash where she builds her customer service skills. Her love for entrepreneurship and concerts has led her to discover a new hobby reselling concert tickets. Kelly hopes to one day become an active member of AWWA.
MIKI KAWAHARA
Miki is the daughter of Ken and Wendy Kawahara. She is a first-year graduate student at Butler University, in Indianapolis, Indiana, pursuing a master’s degree in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies.
In May of 2022, she received her bachelor’s degree cum laude in Health Sciences with minors in chemistry and psychology. With a variety of rigorous classes, Miki also practices her clinical skills on standardized patients. From being actively involved in Alpha Phi Fraternity Epsilon Beta Chapter to cheering on the Butler Bulldogs, to advocating for Riley Children’s Hospital, Miki’s undergraduate years were spent gaining leadership skills. Now with the rigors of PA, she still finds time to work at Ann Pearl Rehabilitation and Healthcare as a Certified Nurse Assistant. Miki also volunteered at the National Kidney Foundation during Winter Break of 2020.
Please join us in congratulating Kelly Mukai and Miki Kawahara and their parents for earning the AWWA Hawaii Section Scholarship award for 2023.
This year we received no applications for the One Water Operator Scholarship.§
By Ken Ota and Shaun Yoshizawa ~ Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs
Last Updated: 03/13/2023_JS