January 6, 2025
The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) has announced new appointments to key leadership positions. Superintendent Keith Hayashi has appointed a new deputy superintendent for operations and a new assistant superintendent for information technology services, both of whom will begin their roles this month.
Dean Uchida has been named deputy superintendent for operations. In this role, he will oversee critical functions within the Department’s state offices, including the Office of Information Technology Services and the Office of Facilities and Operations, which encompasses Student Transportation, School Food, and Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness branches.
Uchida previously served as a senior project manager for SSFM International’s Development Group. His extensive experience includes leadership roles with the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawai‘i. He succeeds interim deputy superintendent Randy Moore, who retired at the end of 2024. Uchida began his new role on January 6.
Amy Peckinpaugh has been appointed as the assistant superintendent for the Office of Information Technology Services. Her background includes senior leadership positions in the banking and IT consulting industries. Most recently, she served as a senior vice president at Bank of Hawai‘i, reporting to the bank’s vice chair for IT and operations. Prior to this, she was a director at Gartner, a global technological research and advisory firm. Peckinpaugh will succeed Michael Otsuji and will assume her new role on January 16.
Additionally, Kinau Gardner has been named interim assistant superintendent for the Office of Student Support Services, effective January 1. With over 33 years of experience in education, Gardner began her career as an eighth-grade English teacher and curriculum coordinator at Jarrett Middle School. She later transitioned into administrative roles, serving as vice principal at Ala Wai Elementary and Jefferson Elementary, and principal at Kāhala Elementary, the Hawai‘i School for the Deaf and the Blind, and Jarrett Middle School. Most recently, she was an educational specialist for alternative learning programs in the Honolulu District. Gardner succeeds Annie Kalama, who retired at the end of 2024.
Ernest Muh and Lori Yatsushiro are also stepping into new leadership roles within HIDOE.
Muh will serve as the complex area superintendent for the Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Area. Since 2008, he has been the principal of Helemano Elementary, where he led students to consistently exceed state proficiency averages in English language arts, math, and science. Under his leadership, Helemano was one of the first schools in the state to implement a Response to Intervention System for literacy support. Muh previously served as vice principal at Waimalu Elementary and taught at Mililani ‘Ike, Mililani Mauka, and Kahuku Elementary schools. He succeeds Bob Davis, who retired at the end of 2024.
Yatsushiro has been appointed as the complex area superintendent for the Baldwin-Kekaulike-Kūlanihāko‘i-Maui Complex Area. She has served as the deputy complex area superintendent since September 2023. Yatsushiro’s prior roles include school renewal specialist for the BKKM Complex Area, principal at Waihe‘e School, and vice principal at Maui Waena Intermediate, Kīhei Elementary, and Waihe‘e School. She began her career as a teacher and curriculum coordinator before moving into administration. Yatsushiro succeeds Desiree Sides, who retired at the end of 2024.
