Maurice Kaya, Project Director
Harold Masumoto, Project Co-Director
Dawn Lippert, Project Manager
Jill Sims, Project Engineer
Maurice Kaya, HREDV Project Director
Maurice Kaya joined Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture in 2008; as Project Director he is responsible for the strategic direction and overall execution of the project. Mr. Kaya has over 35 years of experience in energy and environmental engineering in Hawaii’s public and private sectors.
Mr. Kaya served as the director of the State of Hawaii’s energy program [1988-2008], and was also appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) [2003-2008]. As energy program director and CTO, he was responsible for the planning and execution of state energy policy and projects. Mr. Kaya also developed a comprehensive energy policy strategy for the State of Hawaii, which was implemented first through Energy for Tomorrow and is now part of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership between the State and the U.S. Department of Energy that he helped conceive and launch.
He has served on numerous boards dealing with energy and high technology development. He currently serves as a board member of Energy Industries and the U.S. DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee, as well as co-chair of the Hawaii EPSCoR Statewide Committee. Previously, he served as the Chairman of the State Energy Advisory Board to the Secretary of Energy, U.S. DOE, and on the boards of the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, and the High Technology Development Corporation. He also served as the Chairman of the Emerging Energy Technologies technical committee, Energy Division, American Society of Civil Engineers.
Mr. Kaya’s prior positions include Vice President and Chief Engineer of a major civil engineering firm in Honolulu, the Deputy Director and Chief Engineer for the City and County of Honolulu, and the Director of Facilities Planning and Engineering, US Navy Public Works Center, Pearl Harbor.
Mr. Kaya received his B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Harold Masumoto, Project Co-Director
Harold Masumoto is co-Project Director for the Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture (HREDV) and Project Director for the Hawaii Technology Development Venture (HTDV), both of which are projects of the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR). HTDV, which is funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), expands the capabilities of Hawaii-based small businesses in developing advanced technologies related to current and future Department of Defense and Department of Navy programs.
Mr. Masumoto previously served as Executive Director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii [1994-2003] and as President and Chief Executive Officer of PICHTR [2001 – 2003]. Both organizations are dedicated to enhancing research and development in Hawaii.
His prior positions include Director of the Office of State Planning under former Governor John Waihee [1987-94], Interim Chairman of the State Public Utilities Commission, and Special Assistant to the Governor; University of Hawaii Vice President for Administration/Director of Administration [1975-86]; University of Hawaii Community Colleges Budget and Fiscal Officer [1970-75]; and various other positions at the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Legislature.
Mr. Masumoto received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political Science from the University of Hawaii and his J.D. from the National Law Center of George Washington University.
Dawn Lippert, HREDV Project Manager
Dawn Lippert joined the Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture in 2009. As Project Manager, she serves as the technical contact for HREDV’s co-investment projects and is responsible for coordinating HREDV’s business training, outreach, and partnership development programs. Prior to joining PICHTR, Ms. Lippert was a senior consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C. She provided management consulting to the Department of Energy (DOE) on a variety of renewable energy projects, including the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership between DOE and the State of Hawaii created to chart a path to 70% clean energy in Hawaii by 2030. Previously, Ms. Lippert spent time on the Big Island working with Hawaii County to develop the island’s sustainable energy plan in conjunction with government and community partners.
Her role at HREDV also draws on her international experience – at The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi working to commercialize biomass technologies in rural areas and at the Fish and Wildlife Service implementing sea turtle conservation projects in Vieques, Puerto Rico. She is also a LEED Accredited Professional, and a member of the 2012 Class of Pacific Century Fellows, a program designed to develop leaders with a greater awareness and sensitivity to the people and institutions of Hawaii.
Ms. Lippert received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Yale University and her Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Jill Sims, HREDV Project Engineer
Jill Sims joined the Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture in 2011. As Project Engineer, she provides technical support for HREDV’s co-investment projects and manages technical reporting and reviews of projects. Ms. Sims works alongside the HREDV team to implement programs and manage subcontracts to further the HREDV mission of helping businesses commercialize clean energy technologies in Hawaii.
Prior to joining PICHTR, Ms. Sims was a project manager with SRA International in their Hawaii office. She coordinated U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program activities with the U.S. Pacific Command within the Pacific region. As a federal contractor, she managed energy efficiency and renewable energy tasks across the four military services and with six DOE National Labs. She also worked with DBEDT to complete Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative renewable energy projects permitting information, including drafting federal permitting process overviews and technology-specific and environmental permitting handbooks. Her positions prior to SRA include: DOE Project Officer and Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) managing R&D and demonstration projects within the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Project Management Center; and Systems Engineer at UTC Fuel Cells (now UTC Power) developing system controls for fuel cell vehicles and auxiliary power units.
She has worked with the University of Hawaii as a federal grant writer and consultant for three years. Most recently she worked with the university to win $24.6 million under the Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program.
Ms. Sims received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has completed coursework for a M.S. Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Hartford.