Hawaii’s important Water Resources Management Commission has a new permanent director.

Governor Josh Green announced Monday that he had appointed Ciara Kahahane as the commission’s first deputy, subject to the group’s approval.

Kahahane currently works for the state Attorney General’s Office in the complex litigation division. If her application is approved, Kahahane will begin her new position on October 10.

In a recent Hawaii News Now profile, she talked about her efforts to force the developers of the Villages at Aina Lea to provide affordable housing as part of their project, a legal battle over that housing that had dragged on for more than a decade.

Kahahane will replace the commission’s deputy director, Dean Uyeno. Uyeno replaced Kaleo Manuel, who resigned in January following a controversy surrounding a request to divert river water on the day of the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina.

Many Native Hawaiians and advocates for better public access to water – a highly charged and politicized issue throughout the state – protested the state’s investigation into Manuel’s case and its handling of the situation before he eventually resigned.

In a news release Monday, Dawn Chang, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, praised Kahahane’s legal expertise in the state’s public trust responsibilities and its difficult water issues. Kahahane also has direct and cultural ties to West Maui, Chang said.

Prior to her recent stint with the attorney general, Kahahane worked in the Justice Department’s Public Safety, Hawaiian Homeland Security and Housing Division, where she advised the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, according to a news release from Green’s office.

“I am grateful and pleased to have been elected as the first alternate of the CWRM,” Kahahane said in the release. “I look forward to learning from the commission’s experienced and dedicated staff as we address the complex and sometimes challenging water-related issues facing Hawaii. I will support the CWRM’s mission to protect and enhance the benefits of Hawaii’s water resources for current and future generations through prudent and responsible management.”