Agribusiness Development Corporation

The 11-member Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Development Corporation consists of one representative from each of the counties of Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai and Maui; four at-large members; the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture (or chair’s designee); Chairperson of the Department of Land & Natural Resources (or chair’s designee); and the Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (or chair’s designee).

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Warren Watanabe, Chair
ADC Board Position: At-Large Member
Mr. Watanabe was born and raised on a family farm in Kula and graduated from Maui High School. A few years after graduating from UH Manoa with a degree in horticultural sciences, he took over the operation of the family farm established by his grandfather in 1939. The farm evolved over time growing vegetables as well as carnations for leis and cut flowers. Warren grew produce and edible flowers for hotels and restaurants, marketed under the label of Kolours of Kula and distributed by Local Island Fresh Edibles. The farm was closed in 2012 after 73 years due to wildlife and water challenges.

Warren has held various positions in the Farm Bureau, including serving as President of the Maui County Farm Bureau.  He has also served on the Maui County Board of Water Supply and the Maui Produce Processing Cooperative.  His vast experience in agriculture serves him well, having represented the industry on committees including Advisory Committees on the Maui General Plan, Kahului Harbor Master Plan, Young Brothers, Superferry, Maui County Tourism Strategic Plan and Focus Maui Nui.  He currently represents the Hawaii Farm Bureau on the Hawaii Drought Council, Board Vice Chair for the Agribusiness Development Corporation, Co-Chair for Kula Elementary Community Advisory Council. As MCFB, he is assisting with the implementation of the Maui Soil and Water Conservation Upcountry Drought Resiliency Targeted Conservation Project.  Warren is a strong advocate for the “Important Agricultural Lands Initiative” providing a mechanism for ensuring long term viability of Agriculture in Hawaii.

Lyle Tabata, Vice Chair
ADC Board Position: County of Kauai Member
Mr. Tabata is a partner of B&T Contractors, RME for the firm, servicing private and commercial clients. He has worked at QRSE, LLC and was assigned to Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) East Construction Engineering and Inspection (CE&I), City Center Utility Relocation (CCUR) as Deputy Resident Engineer CE&I CCUR, on Oahu for little over a year. A seasoned manager and field engineer with 10 years as the appointed Deputy & Acting County Engineer of Public Works for the County of Kauai, which comprises of Administration, Engineering, Solid waste, Wastewater, Building permitting, Roads Construction and Maintenance, and the Auto shop Divisions, in the administrations of Mayors Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Derek S.K. Kawakami, overseeing the Operations, and Projects of Design-Build Delivery, Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build-Construction, and Emergency Rehabilitation projects, with the Federal Highway Administration, Hawaii Department of Transportation, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kauai Department of Water, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.  For 23 years worked in the Hawaii sugar industry to become VP of Amfac Sugar Kauai as Manager of Lihue Plantation Co. Ltd., Kekaha Sugar Co. Ltd., and Kauai Sugar Storage Co. Ltd., in charge of operations, maintenance, engineering, safety, environmental compliance, and personnel.  Lyle was later Operations Manager with Aqua Engineers, Inc., & Vice President/RME for Briant Construction a subsidiary of Aqua Engineers, managing the operations, maintenance and construction of water and wastewater facilities.

Mr. Tabata is a graduate of Waipahu High School and received his BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Bradley University, Peoria Illinois, and MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Has sat on the boards of Hawaii Pacific Health, the Kauai Department of Water, King Kaumualii Elementary School SCC Board, The Kauai Economic Development Board, the Mayors Solid Waste Task Force, and presently on the boards of the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) Board, The Wilcox Hospital Board of Directors, Get Fit Kauai Built Environment & Safe Routes to School Task Force, Aloha Council BSA Aquatics Chair, Properties committee and Scoutmaster of Troop 148 on Kauai.

Jesse Cooke
ADC Board Position: City & County of Honolulu Member
As a vice president with Ulupono Initiative, Jesse provides financial and technical due-diligence for investment decisions on various projects. His main focus at Ulupono Initiative has been to seek and support organizations working to increase local food production in the islands. Since he has been with Ulupono Initiative, Jesse has been able to cultivate relationships with farmers, ranchers and other growers in a community that is typically fragmented and widespread.

A graduate of St. Louis School in Honolulu, Jesse earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University and a Master of Business Administration from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. 

Vacant
ADC Board Position: County of Hawaii Member

Jayson Watts
ADC Board Position: County of Maui Member
Mr. Watts currently sits on boards of the Maui County Farm Bureau and the Hawaii Food Industry Association and serves as Director of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at Mahi Pono, LLC. Before joining Mahi Pono, Watts served many years in various government and agricultural policy roles as special assistant to the Director of the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, senior advisor to two Hawaii Lieutenant Governors, and the Assistant Sergeant at Arms of the Hawaii State Senate. His term runs until June 30, 2025.

Glenn Hong
ADC Board Position: At-Large Member

Jason Okuhama
ADC Board Position: At-Large Member
Mr. Okuhama is the Managing Partner of Commercial and Business Lending, specializing in USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Rural Development, and U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs, as well as commercial real estate and residential financing.  His term on the board runs until June 30, 2027.  

Karen Seddon
ADC Board Position: At-Large Member
Ms. Seddon currently sits as the Regional Vice President of Hawaii at EAH Housing (Ecumenical Association for Housing).  She has decades of real estate and affordable housing experience and has previously served as the Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing and Finance Development Corporation (HHFDC). Her term on the board will run until June 30, 2027.

Sharon Hurd
ADC Board Position: Chair of the Department of Agriculture
Ms. Hurd started with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture in 2007 in the Market Development Branch where she worked with commodity groups and agriculture associations to provide the resources deemed important to their growth and profitability. That communication has been key to her understanding of Hawaii agriculture. Prior to her appointment to Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, she served as the Business Development Program Manager and administered federal and state grant programs that helped farmers, ranchers, producers and organizations that represent Hawaii agriculture. Ms. Hurd is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a BA in zoology and has 27 years of sales and marketing experience in the airline industry. Sharon has been married to George for 45+ years and they have two adult children.

Dane Wicker, Chair’s Designee
ADC Board Position: Chair of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
Mr. Wicker is currently the Deputy Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Most recently, Dane served as the Principal Executive Assistant at the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting, coordinating and communicating administrative decisions, work programs, budgets, and objectives to all stakeholders. He has also served as Chief of Staff to Senator Donovan Dela Cruz and Assistant to the Director of the Pacific Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii East-West Center. In these roles, he prepared, reviewed, and provided recommendations on legislative and grant proposals. His private sector experience includes owning and operating small businesses in retail and farming.

Ryan K.P. Kanakaʻole, Chair’s Designee
ADC Board Position: Chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources
Mr. Kanaka‘ole is the First Deputy for the Department of Land and Natural Resources. He previously served as a Deputy Attorney General with the Department of the Attorney General (AG); most recently, as an attorney for the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation and the Mauna Kea Stewardship Oversight Authority. From 2017-2023, he served as counsel for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. He served as an arbitrator for the State Court Annexed Arbitration Program and was appointed to the Public Land Trust Working Group due to his expertise on issues related to the public land trust. Prior to his tenure with the AG, Mr. Kanakaʻole was an associate general counsel and analyst for the State Office of the Auditor. He also served as a Deputy Corporation Counsel for the County of Hawaiʻi and was a Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Steven S. Alm of the Hawaiʻi First Circuit Court. 

Mr. Kanaka‘ole was raised in the moku of Kaʻū on Hawaiʻi Island. Throughout his career, he has been involved in economic development and community stewardship efforts there. Mr. Kanakaʻole is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools. He received a BA in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and a JD with a Certificate in Native Hawaiian Law from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law. He now resides in Pālolo, Oʻahu with his wife and two children.