NEWS RELEASE

Scott Topping Named Executive VP of Finance at Kamehameha Schools

Scott Topping

Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong has named Scott Topping as Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, effective June 10, 2015. 

Topping is a proven senior finance executive with 25 years of experience in financial management. “Scott brings specific strengths in leading financial teams, and organizational strategies,” explained Wong. “Having been in a volatile industry with numerous risk factors, I know Scott’s financial expertise will support our efforts to improve enterprise-wide efficiency, measure and evaluate our financial and educational impacts, and maintain the integrity of our resources to ensure that Pauahi’s legacy will serve many future generations.”  

Topping is excited to join the Kamehameha Schools’ leadership team. “Kamehameha’s mission aligns with my own values,” Topping stated. “I believe that education supplemented with the development of a strong moral code is a winning combination. The focus on humility and servant leadership was one of the most important characteristics that attracted me to this organization, and I am truly honored to serve with the entire KS ‘ohana to execute the new strategic plan.”

For the last 3-1/2 years, Topping was the Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines. His move to Hawaiian was an opportunity to lead the finance functions and build infrastructure in an important growth phase of the airline.

Prior to joining Hawaiian, Topping spent 16 years in Dallas, Texas with Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, rising from Senior Financial Planning Analyst to Vice President/Treasurer from 1995-2011. He was influential in positioning the airline to earn a reputation for "outside the box thinking" and proactive risk management, including the use of fuel hedging to insulate against fuel price fluctuation.  Topping was also part of Southwest’s leadership team when they were recognized by Fortune magazine ten years in a row as number three among America’s Top Ten most admired corporations.

Topping holds an MBA with concentration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Science from Kansas State University. He is active in the community as a Ronald McDonald Charities volunteer, youth basketball coach and leader in his church. Scott and his wife Lauri and two children reside in Mānoa.

“Scott’s hiring rounds out our leadership team,” said Wong, “and positions us well to launch our new 5-year strategic plan.”

To view Kamehameha Schools’ Strategic Plan 2020, visit http://www.ksbe.edu/sp2020.