By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald
Former 10-term state legislator Dennis A. Arakaki has been appointed interim executive director of the Hawaii Family Forum and the Hawaii Catholic Conference for six months, to cover the present state legislative session which began on Jan. 21.
Arakaki will represent the two organizations at the state capitol and will lobby on their behalf. The Hawaii Family Forum is a pro-family educational and advocacy group that is made up of evangelical churches and the Hawaii Catholic Conference is the public policy voice of the Diocese of Honolulu. They work as partners on many public issues.
Arakaki served as a state representative from 1986 to 2006, serving as the majority floor leader and as chairman of several house committees.
He is currently the coordinator of the Invisible Children’s Project of Mental Health America, Hawaii and the community relations director for Common Grace, which recruits volunteers from community churches to be mentors for “lonely, isolated and neglected” public school students. St. Elizabeth Parish in Aiea and Sacred Hearts Academy are Common Grace participants.
Arakaki is also the mission director of Paradise Global Missions and Kalihi Union Church which send Christian evangelical missions to Okinawa and the Philippines. He leads a yearly mission to the Philippines to minister to street children.
Arakaki is a member of the congregation of Kalihi Union Church.
The former legislator was given the Friend of the Family Award in 2006 by Hawaii Family Forum and Hawaii Catholic Conference. He has also received numerous honors for his legislative work and his service to children and families.
He is married to Michiko Toba-Arakaki. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.
The previous executive director of Hawaii Family Forum/Hawaii Catholic Conference was attorney Kelly Rosati who left the islands last March for a directorship at Focus on the Family, an evangelical-based organization in Colorado Springs. The position has been vacant since then.