Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi has appointed Kevin Auger executive director of the city’s Office of Housing. 

What You Need To Know

  • Kevin Auger, who has served as deputy director since July 2023, replaces Denise Iseri-Matsubara, who resigned last week to become executive director of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation
  • With his new promotion, Auger is charged with leading “'cross-sector collaboration and policy change to stimulate the acquisition, development, and preservation of housing, and specifically affordable housing, for all of Oahu’s residents'"
  • Auger will also be principally responsible for the direction of the city’s Affordable Housing Working Group, which meets regularly to identify and execute strategies that promote and increase the housing supply on Oahu
  • Auger previously served as a redevelopment officer for the state Public Housing Authority

 

Auger, who has served as a deputy director since July 2023, replaces Denise Iseri-Matsubara, who resigned last week to become executive director of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation.

“Kevin has been absolutely terrific to work with as deputy director of our Office of Housing over the past 18 months, having come to the city with almost four decades of global, high-level commercial real estate and finance experience,” Blangiardi said in a release issued on Wednesday. “He is perfectly qualified and well suited to meet the many challenges we plan to overcome as we continue to achieve our housing goals and meet the needs of the people who call Oahu home.”

With his new promotion, Auger is charged with leading “cross-sector collaboration and policy change to stimulate the acquisition, development, and preservation of housing, and specifically affordable housing, for all of Oahu’s residents,” according to the release.

Auger will also be principally responsible for the direction of the city’s Affordable Housing Working Group, which meets regularly to identify and execute strategies that promote and increase the housing supply on Oahu.

“At all levels of Mayor Blangiardi’s administration, we recognize that the availability of housing, and especially affordable housing, is the most important issue in the minds of our residents,” Auger said. “I am excited to continue the critical work that our dedicated and committed team in the Office of Housing has already done to make Oahu an affordable place to live, work and play.”

Auger previously served as a redevelopment officer for the state Public Housing Authority. He also has experience serving as managing director for the Wells Fargo Corporation’s Asian real estate operation in Hong Kong and managing real estate investments in the North Asian market for Lehman Brothers in South Korea.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.