WAILUKU, Hawaii (Island News) — Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen has appointed Cynthia Lallo as his new chief of staff in a shakeup of his office’s executive leadership.

Bissen said the changes are aimed at “enhancing his administration’s reach in renewable energy” and to reorganize the structure of his office and the Office of Economic Development (OED). The changes are effective immediately.

In addition to being Bissen’s new chief of staff, Lallo will also be responsible for overseeing OED staff.

Lallo has been in Bissen’s executive cabinet as his Senior Executive Assistant since he took office in January 2023.

According to the mayor’s office, former Chief of Staff Leo Caires will “transition to strengthen focus on short- and long-term strategies to develop and support clean-energy initiatives in Maui County as Mayor’s Energy Commissioner.”

“I would like to thank Cynthia for assuming this leadership role, and mahalo, Leo, for taking on crucial tasks as our new Energy Commissioner,” Bissen said. “As we navigate the unique challenges of our tri-isle county, I will be leaning on Leo to lead us toward harnessing our energy resources wisely, while fostering sustainability and resilience for the benefit of generations to come.”