Charles Kaneshiro to remain a principal
G70 announced today that Kawika McKeague will become the company’s next president and Ryan Char will become the company’s next chief operating officer. McKeague and Char will join CEO Linda Miki and CFO Rachel Fukumoto in the firm’s executive leadership team. Current President and COO Charles Kaneshiro will work closely with McKeague and Char to ensure a smooth transition in the first quarter of 2025. Following the transition, Kaneshiro will remain at the company as a principal and member of the board of directors.
“Kawika and Ryan are exceptional leaders who live and breathe G70’s mission of creating hope for future generations,” said Kaneshiro. “I look forward to the firm’s continued success under their leadership and feel blessed to continue working beside them.”
Kawika McKeague, AICP
McKeague, a Kanaka Maoli, currently serves as a planning principal and will add president-elect to his title, effective immediately. As president, McKeague will continue to lead the firm’s cultural and community engagement initiatives, while overseeing the principal team and company departments, cultivating client and community relationships and guiding company operations and the implementation of its strategic vision.
McKeague joined G70 as an entry-level planner in 2001, where he promoted the integration of a Native Hawaiian perspective into environmental planning and architectural design for nearly a decade. He briefly served as the senior cultural resource manager for Kamehameha Schools in 2011 and returned to G70 in 2012. Mentored and trained by Kumu Hula Victoria Holt-Takamine as a hula practitioner and community advocate, McKeague brings nearly 25 years of experience in facilitating local and national planning efforts and serving a diverse clientele, most of which support Native Hawaiian community-based initiatives.
“At G70, our work is an obligation of kuleana, rooted in humility and service. We design with an intent to honor the unique relationships within our island communities of people and place over time,” said McKeague. “Guided by both ancestral wisdom and hope for our children, our approach is shaped by a sensibility to place, shared values and communal duty. I am profoundly grateful for the dedication of Ryan, Charles and the entire G70 team as we continue our journey of socially responsible design.”
Ryan Char, P.E., LEED AP
Char currently serves as a civil engineering principal at the firm and will add COO-elect to his title, effective immediately. As COO, Char will oversee critical organizational functions and the day-to-day operations of the company, including planning leadership and team engagements, managing complex human resources operations, reviewing comprehensive facilities and technology requirements, preparing annual budgets and coordinating G70’s support for charitable requests.
Char brings 17 years of experience in civil engineering and project management to his role, with a career designing numerous and diverse projects in Hawai‘i and the greater Los Angeles area. He joined G70 as a staff engineer in 2012, and now, as the lead civil engineer on projects, he oversees engineering designs, manages clients, mentors staff and advocates for G70 within the industry and community.
“It’s an honor and very humbling to be named the next chief operating officer at G70,” said Char. “In every project, G70 architects, planners, engineers, and designers are committed to design excellence, client service, community value and environmental stewardship. As we look to the future, I am excited to be able to work with our dedicated staff, energetic clients and an engaged community to continue G70’s record of service while also positioning G70 for success for the next 50 years.”
Charles Kaneshiro, AIA, LEED AP
Kaneshiro has served as G70’s president and COO since 2014. During his tenure, the firm changed its name from Group 70 International to G70, launched a new website and opened a new office in Jakarta, Indonesia. Kaneshiro is an architect with a passion for sustainability, education and transformational designs. He worked on many first-of-its-kind projects in Hawai‘i, including the first LEED Platinum school, laboratory and commercial interiors, as well as the first LEED-certified preschool and public school. As a principal, Kaneshiro will continue to work with clients to enrich lives and spaces with beautiful and thoughtful designs.
“With Kawika’s planning background, Ryan’s civil engineering background and Linda’s architecture background, I’m excited to see the executive leadership team reflect the firm’s transition to a multidisciplinary design firm, versus a strictly architecture-focused firm,” said Kaneshiro. “And amid this growth, our team remains rooted in Hawai‘i, with a diverse and unique perspective unmatched in the industry.”