President Joe Biden’s appointment of two Native Hawaiians to the U.S. Department of the Interior could influence federal policy for Hawaii’s Indigenous people and other Pacific Islanders.
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Summer Sylva
Summer Sylva, who is currently head of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, was appointed on Sept. 1 as senior advisor for Native Hawaiian affairs.
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Keone Nakoa
Keone Nakoa, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, has been appointed deputy assistant secretary for insular and international affairs.