State Health Director Bruce Anderson and Department of Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda will retire, Gov. David Ige announced this morning.
Anderson’s retirement is effective Sept. 15 and comes after 35 years managing health and environmental programs in Hawaii, the state said in a news release. He has served as the as director of the state Department of Health under two governors.
“It has been an honor and pleasure to serve as Director under Gov. Ige, with Nolan and my other fellow cabinet members,” Anderson said in the news release. “In my retirement, I look forward to doing a lot more fishing and horseback riding with my wife, Debbie.”
Ige has appointed Dr. Libby Char to serve as interim director of the Dept. of Health effective Sept. 16. Char is an emergency physician and graduate of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.
After completing residency training in California, she returned to Hawaii to the clinical practice of emergency medicine at The Queen’s Medical Center. She provided administrative oversight for the City and County of Honolulu EMS system for many years.
“I am honored to fill the position of Director of Health for the State of Hawaii,” Char said. “We are in a difficult position, with a heavy burden of COVID-19 affecting the health, well-being and livelihood of so many of us. We must move forward together, through collaborative efforts, caring for each other with a shared sense of purpose. In doing so, we will regain the health of our communities and our state.”
Her appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
Espinda’s retirement is effective Oct. 1.
Maria Cook, the deputy director for administration, will be temporarily assigned and has been granted signatory authority while Espinda is on personal leave through September.
The deputy directors for law enforcement and corrections will continue in their capacities to oversee their division operations. Espinda can provide advice remotely in the interim should the need arise.
Ige will announce an interim appointment to lead the department in the coming weeks.
“Both directors have served admirably under extremely challenging conditions, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ige said. “I thank them for their many years of service to the people of Hawaii and wish them well as they retire and are able to spend time with their families.”
