Diane Arakaki

Diane has over thirty-five (35) years of experience working in and for the public sector at the federal, state, city and special district government levels in the areas of financial leadership and management, and program/project management.

Diane is currently serving as an Administrative Services Officer for the Hawaii State Department of Transportation, Harbors Division. Prior to this, Diane served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), Administrative Services Officer for another state government agency in Hawaii, and similar positions with the regional transportation and land use planning agency in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area (Metro); the Portland Development Commission (PDC and now Prosper Portland); the Oregon State Department of Transportation; and Washington County, Oregon.

While at HART, Diane created and developed the financial team and functions including capital and operational budgeting, financial accounting and reporting, and internal controls of a new agency that was constructing the largest capital rail project in the United States--$9 billion. She also improved its financial, debt financing and operations and maintenance cost planning, and implemented an Owner Controlled Insurance Program (OCIP).

Diane has also been with Ernst & Young in Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica, California, federal agencies in Washington, D.C., and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She received a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California specializing in Intergovernmental Management and Finance, and a Bachelors degree from Pitzer College in Claremont, California.