TEAM
Kurt Matsumoto | President
As President, Kurt leads a diverse management team that works with the Lānaʻi community to plan and implement sustainable commerce, energy, conservation, health care, housing, education and hospitality initiatives. As the third generation of his family born and raised on Lānaʻi, Kurt has a strong connection to Lānaʻi and to ensuring that the sustainable development of the island maintains the integrity of local values and traditions.
Prior to joining Pūlama Lānaʻi, Kurt was General Manager of Operations for Kukui‘ula Development Company Hawai‘i on the island of Kaua‘i, where he oversaw planning and design through to the opening and operation of the Private Club. He also served as general manager of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.
Kurt opened the Mānele Bay Hotel on Lānaʻi, working with the community in the early 1990s on the development of the resort. Over the ensuing 10 years, Kurt went on to manage both The Lodge at Kōʻele and Mānele Bay Hotel as VP of Resort Operations. Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years with Hyatt Hotels, in management roles in six cities, and with Rock Resorts in the British Virgin Islands.
Kurt received his bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from Oregon State University. Previously, he served on the Hawai‘i Island Visitors Bureau, the West Hawai‘i Chamber of Commerce, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, the Hawai‘i Lodging Association and the Board of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. He currently serves as a board member on The Trust for Public Land and Hawaii Employers Council.
Sharon Thom | Sr. VP of Development and Construction
Sharon is responsible for all planning, development and construction activities for Pūlama Lānaʻi, including renovations, upgrades and new construction projects. She oversees the Lānaʻi Builders and Rock & Concrete departments.
Prior to joining Pūlama Lānaʻi, Sharon served as Senior Vice President of Services and Strategic Development for Schnackel Engineers and Vice President and Hawai‘i Area Manager for Kiewit Building Group, both nationally recognized construction and engineering firms. She worked for the City & County of Honolulu as Deputy Director of Department of Transportation Services and spent several years as Director of Construction for General Growth Properties, managing construction projects in the Hawai‘i region including the Ala Moana Center expansion and several retail properties at Ward Centers.
Sharon received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute and International Council of Shopping Centers.
KEIKI-PUA DANCIL, Ph.D. | SR. VP OF STRATEGY & STEWARDSHIP
Keiki-Pua leads Pūlama Lānaʻi’s long-range planning and stewardship efforts. She oversees Government Affairs, Community Development, Culture & Historic Preservation, Conservation, and Geospatial & UAS, and is responsible for strategic planning, resource planning, regulatory affairs, permitting and entitlements, and compliance in support of Pūlama Lānaʻi’s mission and long-term vision for the island.
Before joining Pūlama Lānaʻi, she served in several transformation roles at Hawaiian Electric Company, most recently Director, Strategic Initiatives focusing on strategy, economics, and policy for new initiatives, including electrification of transportation, community based renewable energy, customer retention, microgrids, and customer battery energy storage. Prior to Hawaiian Electric, Keiki-Pua was Vice President of Hawai‘i Business Development & Strategy at Bio-Logical Capital, where she developed strategic investment and market opportunity assessment for the company’s Hawai‘i operations.
Keiki-Pua earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Santa Clara University where she received the John F. Deck Award for Most Outstanding Chemistry Graduate. She received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of California, San Diego, as a National Institute of Health Fellow, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the board of regents for Chaminade University.
Joanne J. Lee | Sr. VP Administration, General Counsel and Secretary
Joanne leads Pūlama Lānaʻi’s Administration, Human Resources, Legal and Safety & Security functions. She and her teams partner closely throughout the organization to strengthen operations, support employees, foster a safe and productive workplace, and advance the company’s strategic initiatives.
Before joining Pūlama Lānaʻi, Joanne served as general counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Hawaiian Airlines, managing public reporting, corporate governance and transactional matters while helping lead the Law Department. Joanne was previously a partner in the transactional group at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel LLP in Honolulu, where her diverse practice included both corporate and tax matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. She began her legal career in New York City as an associate in the Tax Department of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Prior to her legal career, Joanne held operational and project management roles at e-commerce, web development and marketing firms in San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York.
Joanne earned her bachelor’s degree with distinction in English from Yale University and law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. She currently serves on the board of Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i.
ROB CLARK, PE, Ph.D. | SR. VP OF OPERATIONS
Rob leads a variety of units including Facilities Maintenance, Residential and Commercial Leasing, Agricultural Operations, the Lānaʻi Water Company, Landscaping, and Island Operations. He also serves as the Emergency Manager for Pūlama Lānaʻi.
Before coming to Lānaʻi, Rob served as the senior director of finance and administration at the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Veterinary Medicine where he led several units including Facilities, Safety, IT, HR and Finance. In addition, Rob previously served as a director for UGA’s Facilities Management Division, leading the construction project management department and operations & maintenance department. Before his roles in higher education, Rob served as a U.S. Navy officer who spent a combined total of 20 years as a submarine officer and civil engineer corps officer, among other duties including overseas assignments and deployments.
He earned both a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina. His interdisciplinary engineering background also includes nuclear and electrical engineering roles. He completed his PhD work at UGA, where his research concentrated on the impact of facilities and the campus built environment on the campus community. He is also a registered, licensed professional engineer (P.E.).
