HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022_08_15_Hawaii_County_names_Stephen_Pause_Director_of_Public_Works
MITCH D. ROTH
MAYOR
August 15, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAWAIʻI COUNTY NAMES STEPHEN PAUSE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
Hawaiʻi County has named Stephen Pause Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW).
Mr. Pause has served as Acting Director for DPW for the past two months, and before that, in
the role of Deputy Director since May 2021. His previous employment for the County includes
working in an engineering role for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
Mr. Pause brings a wealth of engineering, project, and senior management experience from
over 35 years of work with engineering firms and in corporate positions. He spent over 17
years in a senior project management role for BP Oil, including participating in several
emergency response events. Before relocating to the Island, Mr. Pause was the Director of
Capital Projects for eight years for Cleveland Cliffs, a prominent US iron ore mining and steel
company. In this role, he was responsible for planning, overseeing, and delivering significant
maintenance and capital projects with values ranging between $10 million to $1 billion.
Mr. Pause has volunteered in several past roles in town government, including a Zoning
Commission in Ohio, a Wetlands Commission, and working with a Board of Health in
Massachusetts.
Mr. Pause holds BS and MS degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a
licensed professional engineer (Civil) in the State of Hawaiʻi.
“I am honored to assume the role of Director for DPW,” stated Mr. Pause. “I look forward to
the opportunity to lead a talented team that is tasked with improving and maintaining County
infrastructure and seeing that minimum design and construction requirements are followed to
ensure safe and resilient structures.
“Director Pause has proven himself extremely qualified for this position and has shown a keen
ability to lead the department during this time of transition,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “Through
his mix of professional and life experiences, we believe Steve is best suited to tackle the issues
at hand, including improving building permitting, amplifying infrastructure repair and
maintenance, and bolstering capitol improvement projects, ensuring that our residents can
thrive and succeed for generations to come.”
Mr. Pause listed as his highest priority to continue the ongoing effort of the Building Division to
improve the permitting process using the EPIC system. Additionally, he listed attracting and
retaining talent into the DPW organization and improving lines of communication with the
public and all project stakeholders.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Cyrus A.K. Johnasen
Public Information Officer
County of Hawaiʻi
Office of the Mayor
cyrus.johnasen@hawaiicounty.gov
808.345.9434