ATG NEWS RELEASE: Western State Attorneys General honor Hawaii Attorney Charleen Aina
Posted on Jul 18, 2016 in Latest Department News
HONOLULU – The Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) today honored Hawaii Senior Deputy Attorney General Charleen Aina with a prestigious public service award, Attorney General Doug Chin announced. The award was presented to Ms. Aina at CWAG’s annual meeting in Idaho.
CWAG is a bipartisan group comprised of the chief legal officers of 15 western states and three Pacific territories. Members include Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
The Jim Jones Public Service Award presented to Ms. Aina today was established in 1990 to annually recognize a lawyer on the staff of a CWAG Attorney General. The award honors the leadership and contributions of former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones. The recipient must demonstrate: a commitment to public service, an ability to advance multi-state and CWAG goals, a sustained commitment of time, talent, and energy to achieve identifiable results of significance to CWAG, and achievement of significant results on issues affecting member states.
Attorney General Chin said, “This year, all of the western states have honored a Hawaii deputy attorney general with this public service award. Charleen Aina truly embodies the specialness that is Hawaii. Her love and respect for the law is rooted in her understanding and respect for traditional and customary Hawaiian values but mindful of the need for the rule of law.”
First Deputy Attorney General Russell Suzuki said, “Having been born and raised on a sugar plantation in Ewa where she learned the values of integrity, community and hard work, Charleen truly is the conscience and moral compass of our department.”
Ms. Aina joined the Department of the Attorney General (Department) in 1976. Over her distinguished career, she has advised the Department’s clients and represented the State of Hawaii in as many diverse areas as the Department practices. Through Ms. Aina’s efforts to resolve the reparations for the use of native ceded lands, the State was able to broker a settlement with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and lay to rest years of contentious negotiations over the value of Native Hawaiian claims. Ms. Aina’s contributions to the Department and the State are numerous.
See picture attached: David Louie, former Attorney General; Charleen Aina, Deputy Attorney General; Doug Chin, Attorney General; and Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Attorney General and CWAG chair
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For more information, contact:
Joshua A. Wisch
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
(808) 586-1284