Colin Kippen is OHA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer (Ka Pouhana Kūikawā). Prior to being appointed to the position on July 1, 2023, Kippen served as the chief of staff to the OHA Board of Trustees and formerly served the agency as deputy administrator of the Hawaiian Rights Division.
A former trial lawyer, Kippen’s vast experience includes serving as a chief judge for Chief Seattle’s Suquamish tribe in Washington state, as administrator of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, administrator of the National Indian Education Association serving all Native Americans in Washington D.C., a former senior counsel to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye on the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, a former fundraiser for the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, a former State of Hawaiʻi Homeless Director, and a former policy and government relations director for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
