NASCA Announces Otaguro as Executive Committee Member

LEXINGTON, Ky — The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) is pleased to announce the election of Curt Otaguro as an At-Large Director of the Executive Committee. In this role as a member of the Executive Committee, Otaguro will be tasked with offering key input to make informed decisions on issues in daily operation as well as in furtherance of the national association’s mission to transform state government operations.

Otaguro looks forward to his new role on NASCA’s Executive Committee and noted that “the State of Hawaii is proud to be a long-standing member of the NASCA organization. It has been a privilege to serve as an alternate over the past year and I look forward to serving as an At-Large Director of the Executive Committee,” said Otaguro.  “NASCA has been such a dynamic organization and was extremely helpful during the beginning of the global pandemic. Collaboration with fellow colleagues provided invaluable guidance and confidence for me personally.  I am excited and honored to serve our NASCA membership in the coming year.”

Otaguro was appointed in January 2019 to serve as the state Comptroller of Hawaii. In that role, he serves as the Director of the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) and is responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating various activities according to state law and administrative rules.

Otaguro oversees 682 DAGS employees across eight divisions: Accounting, State Archives, Internal Audit, Automotive Management, Central Services, Land Survey, Public Works, and the Office of Enterprise Technology Services. He also oversees three district offices (Hawaii, Maui, Kauai), and three administrative staff offices: Administrative Services/Risk Management Offices, Personnel, and Systems & Procedures. His department also provides administrative support for eleven attached agencies: Access Hawaii Committee, Aloha Stadium Authority, Building Code Council, Campaign Spending Commission, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaii Enhanced 911 Board, King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, Office of Elections, Office of Information Practices, and the State Procurement Office.

Otaguro is a graduate of the University of Redlands, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in management. Comptroller Otaguro brings over 37 ½ years of financial sector experience to his role. Otaguro has vast experience in both personal and e-banking, as well as in retail and electronic banking, management, and customer service. Prior to joining the public sector, he served as the executive vice president and division manager of the digital banking Otagurodivision of First Hawaiian Bank, where he held various high-level positions throughout his career.

Comptroller Otaguro has been active volunteer in his community.  He is a former Board President for the Hands of Hope Foundation, a grass roots organization that supports children’s literacy within Hawaii’s public-school system. He served on the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, as co-chairman of their annual foundation golf tournament, Chairman for the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce’s (HJCC) Chopsticks and Wine event as well as being a member on the boards of Waialae Country Club, HJCC, Hawaii United Okinawan Association, and Iolani Alumni Association.   He is the former chairman of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH), Special Olympics of Hawaii, and United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii. He is currently finance Chair for Waialae Country Club.

Otaguro and his wife, Mi Sun, reside in Manoa and have five children, Devan, Aden, Jennifer, Jacob, and Wyatt. They also have two grandchildren, Lyla and Declan.

  For more information about NASCA visit www.nasca.org.