Five more officials have been appointed to serve as directors and deputies under Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.

The appointments are:

• Josiah Nishita, deputy director of the Department of Management. Nishita has served as the deputy managing director for Maui County since 2020. He was previously with the Office of the County Clerk for eight years, serving as deputy for nearly seven years before he became county clerk. Nishita holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from George Fox University and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business.

• Sonya Toma, first deputy of the Department of Corporation Counsel. Toma has been state deputy attorney general since 2021 and previously was a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, an attorney in private practice and a deputy public defender with the state, Maui office and Hilo office. Toma earned her Juris Doctor from the UH William S. Richardson School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Oregon.

Toma

• Shelly Miyashiro, first deputy in the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. Miyashiro worked as a deputy for the Office of the Public Defender for 14 years and has been with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney since 2016. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Bloomington School of Law.

• Maria Zielinski, budget director. Zielinski most recently served as director of the Maui County Office of Council Services. She previously worked as the director of taxation and deputy comptroller for the state and held the position of chief financial officer for the California School Employees Association. She was also chief financial officer for Haleakala Ranch, Baldwin Pacific Corporation, Haleakala Dairy and Farm Credit Banks. Zielinski received a Bachelor of Arts from the City University of New York Brooklyn College.

• Luana Mahi as economic development director. For 17 years, Mahi has owned and operated Hawaiian Isles Unlimited LLC, doing business as Kismet Natural Foods Brokerage, an organic and grocery marketing company with national and international brands. She serves as president and executive director of the Maui Food Technology Center, a nonprofit created 18 years ago to stimulate and support entrepreneurship.

The appointments were announced Saturday prior to Bissen’s official inauguration on Monday.

While appointed department directors require Maui County Council confirmation, these appointments do not.

Zielinski

Mahi