Aina Koa Pono's Management

Dr. Melvin H. Chiogioji, PE, President:  Co-Founder of AKP and a native of Hawai'i, graduated in 1961 from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawai'i in 1968, and a Doctor of Business Administration degree from George Washington University in 1972.

Dr. Chiogioji spent five years on active duty at various assignments. Following active service, Dr. Chiogioji served in various reserve assignments culminating in his selection to Rear Admiral in 1987.  His last position was as Commander of the Second Naval Construction Brigade, an 8000 person organization consisting of both active duty and reserve personnel, responsible for all Seabee operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions.

Dr. Chiogioji also spent 27 years as a Federal civil servant.  He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from 1980-1985, and completed his Federal career as Deputy Director and Construction Manager for the New Production Reactor Program at the U. S. Department of Energy.  He has broad experience in the areas of energy efficiency programs, energy economics and financing, international energy programs, industrial waste utilization and minimization, and construction management of fossil fueled and nuclear power plants. 

Dr. Chiogioji is a registered professional electrical engineer, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, a life member of the Naval Reserve Association, a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Society of American Military Engineers.  He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Technology, Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and American Men and Women of Science. He is the author of two books published by Marcel Dekker, Inc.: Industrial Energy Conservation and Residential and Commercial Building Energy Conservation

Kenton Eldridge, Executive Vice President:  Co-Founder of AKP, and Co-Founder, Partner and Director of Sennet Capital LLC, brings 40 years of business experience to Sennet Capital. Mr. Eldridge spent 25 years in retail management, 10 years with Federated Department Stores and 15 years with DFS (Duty Free Shoppers).He has extensive retail operating experience in the US and Asia. Prior to his retail career he spent 4 years as a US Army Intelligence Officer, serving in Europe and Vietnam.

Mr. Eldridge has been actively involved in the investment community since retiring from DFS in 1997. In 2000 he was a founding board member of HiBeam (Hawai'i Business and Entrepreneur Acceleration Mentors) and has served as a mentor and investor for several Hawai'i start-up companies including Hoku Scientific.

Mr. Eldridge also serves on the board of directors of American Savings Bank, Innovasc and The Nature Conservancy. He received his BA, MA and MBA from University of New Hampshire.

Board of Advisors:

Dr. Melvin H. Chiogioji, PE, Chairman

Kenton Eldridge

Robert Clarke, former CEO, Hawai'ian Electric Industries:  Mr. Clarke brings 40 years of strategic planning, financial expertise and diversified management experience. Mr. Clarke joined Hawai'ian Electric Company (HEI) in February 1987 as Vice President of Strategic Planning and was charged with implementing the Company's diversification strategy. He was named HEI Group Vice President – Diversified Companies in May of 1988 and made a director of HEI in 1989. On January 1, 1991, Mr. Clarke became President and Chief Executive Officer of HEI, and in September 1998, was named Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Clarke retired from HEI in May 2006.

Mr. Clarke serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the College of Business Administration of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He also serves on the boards of Hawai'i Pacific University, the Straub Foundation, The Oceanic Institute, the Center for A Sustainable Future, and the American Judicature Society-Hawai'i Chapter. Mr. Clarke is a past chair and a current member of the Hawai'i Business Roundtable and a member of the Air Force Civilian Advisory Council.

ADM Ronald J. Zlatoper (retired) former Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, member Board of Directors of Campbell Estates and Parsons Engineering:  Admiral Zlatoper is a decorated naval aviator and a retired four-star Admiral. In subsequent public and private employment, he has successfully served as the Chief Executive Officer of large organizations in both the national defense and commercial sectors. He presently serves as the 24th Trustee of The Estate of James Campbell.

Prior to joining the Campbell Estate, Admiral Zlatoper served as Co-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Sanchez Computer Associates, Inc., a banking software company rated 45th on the Forbes magazine list of the 200 best small companies in the U.S. From 1997 through 2000, Admiral Zlatoper was instrumental in Sanchez’s growth from a market capitalization of $50 million to one in excess of $1 billion. Before joining Sanchez, Admiral Zlatoper completed his distinguished military career as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest naval command, encompassing more than 190 ships, 1600 aircraft, and 200,000 personnel, with an operating budget of $5 billion per year.

Admiral Zlatoper holds an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master’s degree in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master’s degree in Administration from the George Washington University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from RPI. He is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College. A published author on management, logistics, and naval strategy, Admiral Zlatoper regularly lectures at universities and corporate conferences around the country and overseas.

In addition to serving on three corporate boards, Admiral Zlatoper currently serves as a Trustee for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Regent for Chaminade University, and a Board of Advisors member of the School of Business & Public Management at the George Washington University. Admiral Zlatoper is also active on the boards ofthe Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor; the East-West Center; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation; Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i – Military Affairs Council; Catholic Charities Hawai'i; and is a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way. He serves as the honorary Consul General for Slovenia in Hawai'i.

Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, former Congressman, former Secretary of U.S. Departments of Commerce and Transportation:  Secretary Norman Y. Mineta is Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton, based in its Washington, DC office. He is well known for his work in the areas of transportation – including aviation, surface transportation, and infrastructure – and national security.  He is recognized for his accomplishments in economic development, science and technology policy, foreign and domestic trade, budgetary issues and civil rights.

For almost thirty years, Secretary Mineta represented San Jose, California – the heart of Silicon Valley – first on the City Council, then as Mayor, and then from 1975 to 1995 as a Member of Congress.  Throughout that time, he was an advocate of the burgeoning technology industry.  He worked to encourage new industries and spur job growth, and he supported the development of the infrastructure to accommodate the industry and its tremendous growth.  He served as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Public Works Committee from 1992 to 1994, after having chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation. He was the primary author of the groundbreaking Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991.

In 2000, Secretary Mineta was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the United States Secretary of Commerce.  At the Department of Commerce, Mineta was known for his work on technology issues, for achieving international cooperation and intergovernmental coordination on complex fisheries issues, and streamlining the patent and trademark process.  He was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001. Following the horrific terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Mineta guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, the largest mobilization of a new federal agency since World War II.

Globally recognized  for his leadership, Secretary Mineta has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – our nation’s highest civilian honor – and the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, which is awarded for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States. He is also the recipient of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan.  He was the co-founder of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and Chair of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission.  He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Kimberly Dey
Kimberly Dey is CEO and owner of NumberEight (N8).  N8 was created in 2010 through the partnership agreement between Nothing But Results (NBR), a locally-owned, boutique marketing company with a successful track record, and Liquid Planet Studios (LPS), one of Hawaii’s largest and most diverse HD production companies.

LPS is recognized as a leader in HD broadcast and video production in Hawaii and was purchased by Dey in 2009.  It was reorganized upon merging with NBR to create a new company better suited to pursue more diverse business opportunities and expand the level of services it provides. 

Dey is the lead officer in charge of facilitating business arrangements and determining, aligning and pursuing the strategic vision of N8.  N8 is a creative marketing company with in-house production capabilities that strive to provide a vertically integrated experience for its clients.

An entrepreneur by nature, Dey also operates a portfolio of several other business entities, including an accomplished sport horse breeding business, which is an extension of her love for horses, competition and sport.  Her horses have earned numerous national and international awards and she, herself, is an established rider who was the World Champion Amateur Hunter Rider for two consecutive years and the first Asian American to win such honors.

Dey is very active in the community serving on numerous boards.  She also works as the Vice President for her father’s private charitable organization the Charles B. Wang International Foundation, which focuses internationally on children and cross-cultural affairs. 

Under her guidance, the Foundation has supported local organizations such as the ASSETS School, Kapiolani Medical Center, Le Jardin Academy, the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii and Special Olympics Hawaii with nearly five million dollars since 2001. She is also President of the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation. 

Originally from New York, Kimberly fell in love with the islands, making it her home in 1993.  She was honored as a Pacific Business News “40 under 40” award winner in 2003 and also as a finalist for its “Women Who Mean Business” award.

Jim Pappas
Mr. Pappas brings 45 years of accounting, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, senior management and entrepreneurship experience to AKP. He began his career as an accountant and served in various accounting, finance and strategic planning functions until 1978 when Mr. Pappas joined Honsador Lumber, the largest building supply company in Hawaii, as the President and CEO. In 1984 he acquired the company. In 2004 he sold Honsador Lumber to a private equity firm.

Mr. Pappas is a past member, President and director of the Financial Planning Institute, a past officer and director of Young Presidents' Organization(YPO). He is a current member of World Presidents' Organization(WPO). Jim has served as a director of several private companies and is serving, or has served, on the boards of non-profits including the Boy Scouts of America, Manoa Valley Theater and the University of Hawaii's Koa Anuenue.

Mr. Pappas received his BA in Accounting and Finance from San Francisco State. He has done graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

In 2010 Mr. Pappas attended the National War College.

Paul Alston, General Counsel
Paul Alston is a director of the Honolulu law firm Alston Hunt Floyd & lng, and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA' s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Commercial Litigation, Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation, and Honolulu Magazine's Best Lawyers in Hawaii. He is a former president of the Hawaii State Bar Association, the Hawaii Justice Foundation, and Hawaii Lawyers Care, and a former Trustee of the National Conference of Bar Foundations

He is admitted to practice in Hawaii, the US District Court for the District of Hawaii, the US Court of Appeals for Ninth Circuit, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Court, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Court, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the US Claims Court and the Supreme Court.

Mr. Alston received his Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California.