South Kohala native Eric Gee appointed to UH Board of Regents

A South Kohala native is heading into one of the most consequential student seats in Hawaii higher education, a post that can shape tuition, fees, budgets and program decisions for UH Hilo, UH West Hawaii and every campus in the system. Gov. Josh Green appointed Eric Pōmaikai Gee to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents on June 19, pending Hawaii Senate confirmation.

If confirmed, Gee will begin a two-year term on July 1, 2026, filling the student regent seat now held by Joshua Faumuina, whose term ends in June 2026. The appointment was narrowed from four finalists presented by the Candidate Advisory Council for the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, a reminder that even the student seat is part of the university’s formal power structure, not a symbolic role.

The Board of Regents operates under Article X of the Hawaii State Constitution and Chapter 304A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, with general management and control over the University of Hawaii system. UH’s regents page says the board formulates policy and exercises control through the university president. That gives Gee a vote at the table when the board weighs tuition levels, student fees, spending priorities and the direction of programs that reach campuses from Mānoa to Hawaii Island.

That matters on the Big Island, where UH Hilo and UH West Hawaii often compete for attention, staffing and resources within a statewide system. The University of Hawaii tuition and fees special fund collects tuition-related charges, and board policies govern how those charges are set and used. For students on Hawaii Island, that can influence affordability, access and the mix of classes and services available close to home.

Gee’s appointment also carries a broader profile. UH News said he was the only participant from Hawaii and the United States on an Antarctic expedition led by explorer Robert Swan. The effort focused on protecting Antarctica beyond 2041, and Gee helped with research and helped broadcast the expedition to 2 million children in classrooms. That experience adds an environmental and global education dimension to a role that will now be grounded in the day-to-day business of UH governance.

For Big Island readers, the larger significance is straightforward: a student from South Kohala will help shape decisions that affect what UH can afford to offer, where it invests and how loudly Big Island campuses are heard inside a statewide system.