David Duffy has been a professor of botany at the University of Hawaii-Manoa since 1998. He serves as a graduate professor of zoology as well as ecology, evolution and conservation biology.  Duffy has also served as director of the Hawaiian Pacific Island Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit since 2004.

 

UHPA President Duffy

“The legislature’s increased demand for more accountability and transparency of the UH administration is having an adverse impact on UH faculty and our programs,” said Duffy, who has been responsible for obtaining $150 million and creating 300 jobs through more than 950 grants and projects in collaboration with state, federal and private agencies. “It is imperative that UHPA solidify its role as the voice of faculty — independent of the UH administration.”

“Although our nearly 4,000 members may have diverse perspectives on various issues, we all agree on the need for a singular focus: contract negotiation and contract enforcement. Without these as our foremost priorities, our voice will be diminished and our efforts diluted,” said Duffy, who earned doctorate degree in population biology from Princeton University.

“In the past, we have shown that UHPA has been a strong voice in the political arena,” Duffy said. “With our contract tied to legislative funding, UHPA must continue to represent the interests of our members, especially as we prepare for the election season and enter negotiations for our new contract.

The other officers are:

  • Sharon Rowe has been a professor at Kapiolani Community College since 1989, teaching courses in philosophy, world religions, and ballet.  She earned bachelor of arts, master of arts and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Rowe also has a master of fine arts degree in theater and dance from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

 

  • Rosiana “Nani” Azman is an assistant professor of psychology at University of Hawaii Maui College. She earned a bachelor of arts degree with distinction in psychology, master of arts degree in psychology, and doctorate degree in psychology, all from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

 

  • Robert Cooney is an associate professor of public health sciences at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where he teaches and continues his research in the area of lipid micronutrients and disease prevention. He has been with the University of Hawaii since 1984, studying the DNA damaging reactions of nitrogen oxides. Cooney received a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry and biology from Washington University in St. Louis and his doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of California at San Diego. He also did a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA before joining the University of Hawaii.