Stoltz appointed new managing director at Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
Accomplished hospitality executive Tracy Stoltz — who has extensive experience leading luxury and full-service resorts throughout the United States and around the globe — is the new managing director at Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, in Kailua-Kona.
She brings a distinguished record of operational excellence and transformational leadership to her new position. Stoltz joins the Big Island resort from The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort, in Vail, Colo., where she most recently also served as general manager. Her career spans globally recognized brands such as Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, with senior leadership roles throughoug landmark properties in North America, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
Stoltz’s rich experience with Hawaiian hospitality further distinguishes her appointment. She’s had key leadership roles at The Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Waikīkī Resort, The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, Sheraton Maui Resort and The Westin Maui Resort and Spa.
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Alaska, Hawaiian lead airline industry with record 4th of July and as No. 1 for on-time performance
Employees of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines made sure the millions of travelers who flew with them for Fourth of July celebrations, reunions and summer adventures arrived at their destinations safely, on time and with care, leading U.S. carriers by completing 99.37% of scheduled flights from July 2-6, which included 3 of the 10 busiest flying days in company history — July 2, 5 and 6.
The strong Fourth of July performance comes on the heels of new reporting from Cirium that notes Alaska Air Group — Alaska, Hawaiian and regional air carrier Horizon Air — is also No. 1 in on-time performance among U.S. carriers for the first half of 2026.
The group made sure its guests reached weddings, vacations, family gatherings, business meetings and more despite inclement winter weather, busy spring break travel and start of the summer peak season that tested airlines industrywide.
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University of Hawaiʻi president appointed to Mountain West Conference leadership roles
University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel was appointed to key leadership positions within the Mountain West Conference, further strengthening the university’s role in the conference. The university became a full member of the conference July 1.
Hensel will serve on the Mountain West Board of Directors and also was selected as a member of the Mountain West Board Executive Committee. The appointments reflect her commitment to intercollegiate athletics and University of Hawaiʻi’s growing leadership role within the conference.
Full membership in the Mountain West Conference provides greater competitive stability, enhanced scheduling opportunities and a stronger foundation for long-term athletic success for University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, which is Hawaiʻi’s only NCAA Division I athletics program sponsoring 21 varsity sports with about 500 student-athletes. Mountain West membership also ensures University of Hawaiʻi has a voice in shaping conference priorities during a period of significant change throughout intercollegiate athletics.
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Award supports University of Hawaiʻi research on safer drinking water
A faculty member at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa was awarded a $660,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award to study how fuel contamination can affect drinking water during the treatment process.
Emily Marron — assistant specialist in the Water Resources Research Center and cooperating graduate faculty and instructor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering — will lead the 5-year project, which runs through June 2031. It includes education and community outreach and also will establish a community-centered laboratory to expand access to low-cost drinking water testing.
The research focuses on what happens when chlorine — commonly used to disinfect drinking water — reacts with fuel that entered water supplies after spills or leaks. However, chlorine can react with fuel-related chemicals to create unintended byproducts that could pose health risks. The project also could provide new insight into the types of chemical compounds people might have been exposed to in drinking water following the Red Hill fuel contamination in 2021 on O‘ahu.
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Hawaiʻi attorney general pushes feds to crackdown more on illegal robocalls
Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez and 48 other attorneys general throughout the nation are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen rules cutting off scammer access to legitimate telephone numbers. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force asked the commission in 2021 to work on this issue, and members of the task force are now responding to proposed federal rules.
United States residents received about 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts and lost nearly $2 billion to these scams last year. Scammers used to primarily illegally “spoof” other people’s phone numbers to make it look like a call was coming from a legitimate company or government agency. Now, they often purchase legitimate phone numbers and use them to make robocalls.
While most legitimate businesses use the same phone number for many years, scammers cycle through millions of new phone numbers, which helps them avoid detection by spam filters. Among additional actions being requested by the bipartisan group of attorneys general is requiring every company authorized to purchase and resell phone numbers in North America to meet stronger certification rules and submit regular reports about the sale and use of numbers, requiring people and entities applying to access phone numbers to confirm they won’t use them to make illegal robocalls, blocking the sale of phone numbers not tied to a calling or texting service and prohibiting number cycling.
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2 Hawaiian Electric renewable energy project power purchase agreements approved
Hawaiian Electric was approved by Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission for power purchase agreements on two solar energy and battery storage projects, representing another milestone achievement in the expansion of renewable energy throughout the islands.
There are now four projects with approved contracts from Hawaiian Electric’s latest stage of renewable energy development that began in 2023. Those projects include a project on O‘ahu and another on Maui given the go-ahead last month by the Public Utilities Commission.
Hawaiian Electric is also negotiating contracts for seven other projects, which have been or will be submitted to the state utilities commission for review. They are located on O‘ahu, Maui and the Big Island — including Keʻāmuku Solar in Waikōloa and Hāmākua Firm Renewable Energy on the east side of the island — and reflect Hawaiian Electric’s balanced approach to building a cleaner electrical grid and ensuring electricity is available in Hawaiʻi whenever customers need it.
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Annual event celebrating University of Hawaiʻi alumni entrepreneurship scheduled later in July
The fifth annual University of Hawaiʻi Alumni Makers’ Market — a signature event showcasing food, drinks and products from businesses owned and led by alumni — is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. July 29 at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, in Waikīkī on Oʻahu.
University of Hawaiʻi Alumni Makers’ Market launched in 2022 and highlights the economic and community contributions of University of Hawaiʻi graduates while encouraging attendees to shop local and support small businesses. The event also supports current students, with a portion of proceeds benefiting student needs throughout the university’s 10-campus system.
Tickets are available now online and include unlimited access to food and drink stations. A full list of the participating 40 vendors can be found online, and sponsorship opportunities remain available. Email to contact@uhalumni.org for additional information.
