William Aila is the Deputy Director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Before that, Mr. Aila served as the Chairman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources for the State of Hawaiʻi until December 2014. He was Waianae Boat Harbor Harbormaster, and worked for more than 23 years in DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation. Mr. Aila was a critical proponent in the establishment of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the first community based subsistence fishing area in Haena, Kauai, predator proof fencing across the islands, and streamlined permitting for restoration of Hawaiian fishponds – proof of his commitment to protecting areas that have deep cultural importance as well as significant natural resource values. Mr. Aila earned a B.A. in tropical agriculture from the University of Hawaiʻi.