Congratulations to Sylvia Yuen for her appointment by Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald to the nine-member Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission. Her term started in April 2022 and continues through April 2028. Sylvia has been an active member of AJS for more than 13 years and currently serves as Executive Director of AJS.

The Judicial Selection Commission reviews and evaluates applications for all judicial vacancies, and vote, by secret ballot, to select qualified nominees. The Commission also determines whether a justice or judge shall be retained in office. The Commission publicizes the fact that a justice or judge is seeking retention so that all persons who might have an interest in the matter be informed of the opportunity to comment. Established by a 1978 state constitutional amendment, the Commission is governed by the Judicial Selection Commission Rules.

Sylvia has had a long and distinguished career at the University of Hawaii, which spans decades in both academics and administration. For almost 20 years, Sylvia focused her efforts on building and leading the University of Hawaii’s Center on the Family, which grew under her leadership from an idea to a vibrant unit of the University. Sylvia also served as the Interim Dean of UH-Mänoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the first woman to direct the college since its founding in 1907. She also served as Executive Director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii.

Sylvia served on the boards for numerous nonprofit organizations and on various advisory committees, including the Institute for Human Services, Hawaii Community Foundation, Aloha United Way, Honolulu Community Action Program, and the Federal Judicial Selection Commission.

M. Margaret McKeown, an ex-officio member of the AJS Board of Directors, was selected to receive the prestigious 2022 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Ninth Circuit. The award was presented to her in July 2022 at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in Montana.

McKeown has been a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1998.

The American Inns of Court Professionalism Awards are bestowed in participating federal circuits to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law. Candidates for these awards are nominated through circuit-wide open nominations and selected by a panel of representatives from both the circuit and the American Inns of Court.

AJS Board member and Treasurer Russell Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finance Factors, Ltd, was appointed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to its Minority Depository Institutions (MDI) Subcommittee to the Advisory Committee on Community Banking in May 2022.

The MDI Subcommittee serves as a source of feedback for FDIC strategies to fulfill its statutory goals for MDIs; provides a platform for MDIs to promote collaboration, partnerships, and best practices; and identifies ways to highlight the work of MDIs in their communities. At its May meeting, the subcommittee shared insights into key challenges and opportunities facing their communities and financial institutions and focused on strategic planning and succession management activities.

Russell was previously tapped to serve as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and as Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines.

He has been Chairman and CEO of Finance Factors, Ltd., since 2017. His prior  positions at Finance Factors included Vice Chairman and CEO, Chief Investment Officer, Senior VP & Branch Administrator, and VP & Strategic Planner.

Since 2010 to the present, Russell has been a member of the Hawaii Bankers Association Executive Committee and served as President from 2013-2015. He also serves on various boards, some of which include Palolo Chinese Home, Assets School, St. Andrew’s Priory, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

Brandon Kimura, Deputy Administrative Director of the Courts, Hawai‘i State Judiciary, is the first from Hawaii to be certified as a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management (ICM) at the National Center for State Courts.

The ICM Fellows Program is the highest and most demanding certification available from ICM. Becoming an ICM Fellow is a process of continual professional development that enhances the knowledge, skills, and abilities of court administrators while providing leadership instruction in areas of functional responsibility associated with court administration.

Kimura was in the ICM’s 50^th class and graduated in July 2022. He is now part of the 1,300 alumni of the program.