Some of you may already know her as the one who defended you in your grievance case. She’s well acquainted with the challenges faculty face and has been a strong advocate when the terms of your contractual agreement have been ignored, the line has been crossed, and your rights as a faculty member were trampled.
With a solid track record of faculty support, it seemed natural progression for Kris Hanselman to be named UHPA’s Executive Director. The UHPA board of directors unanimously voted in favor of her appointment at a board meeting this past weekend. The vote was taken after a nationwide search and candidate interviews that began in January 2015.
Kris has more than 35 years of leadership experience in public unions and political affairs, including 12 years with the National Education Association. She has served as UHPA’s Associate Executive Director since December 2007, responsible for contract grievance enforcement, collective bargaining,
membership engagement programs, government affairs and communications. She is now ready to take on this new leadership role determined to continuously improve the quality of life for faculty and restore pride in the University of Hawaii as a institution of quality learning and research.
She officially takes over as Executive Director on September 1, 2015, upon the retirement of J. N. Musto, UHPA’s current Executive Director and Chief Negotiator. Musto has served as Executive Director for more than 35 years.
