NEWS RELEASE
John Komeiji named general counsel and vice president
Posted: January 7, 2020
HONOLULU, Hawai‘i - (Jan. 7, 2020) – Kamehameha Schools (KS) has named John Komeiji as its new general counsel and vice president. Mr. Komeiji will be joining the CEO’s executive leadership team and will start with KS on February 18. He succeeds Eric Sonnenberg, who retired in September 2019.
“John brings with him an extensive background in leadership roles in Hawai‘i’s legal and business community that will be valuable to our organization as we continue to serve our Native Hawaiian keiki who are the focal point of our work,” KS Chief Executive Officer Jack Wong said. “We are excited to have him join the Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana and be part of perpetuating the legacy of Princess Pauahi.”
“I am humbled by the privilege to join Kamehameha Schools and serve Princess Pauahi’s mission and all of our keiki, families and communities throughout Hawai‘i,” Mr. Komeiji said. “KS’ mission, work and people have always been inspiring to me, and I’m excited to now be able to contribute to the work at such a pivotal time with all the dedicated staff of Kamehameha Schools.”
Mr. Komeiji comes to KS with an extensive background in Hawai‘i’s legal and business community. Most recently, he served as Hawaiian Telcom President and General Manager, a post he held since July 2018. Earlier, Mr. Komeiji was Hawaiian Telcom’s chief administrative officer and general counsel for 10 years. Before that, he served as senior partner at Watanabe Ing & Komeiji LLP, where his practice focused on litigation in complex commercial, personal injury and professional liability matters.
Mr. Komeiji also is a past president of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and is a recipient of the Hawai‘i Venture Capitalist Association’s Corporate Intrapreneur of the Year Award (2018) and the University of Hawai‘i’s Distinguished Alumni Award (2011). He holds a juris doctorate from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
