Board of Directors

  • Board Chair

    Matthew Shannon is a partner at Bays Lung Rose & Voss. His practice primarily focuses on real estate and construction litigation. Matthew graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law with a certificate in environmental law, and holds a degree in history from the University of California San Diego. He previously served on the board of the US Green Building Council, Hawai‘i Chapter. In his free time, he likes to play hockey and spend time with his family.

  • Board Member

    Ben Wang is an Executive Vice President at BlackSand Capital, a real estate private equity firm in Honolulu, where he is responsible for acquisitions and asset management of the firm’s investments. Prior to joining BlackSand, Ben was at The Shidler Group where he worked on the acquisitions and dispositions of commercial property throughout Honolulu, Southern California, and Phoenix.

    Ben received an MBA with a focus on real estate finance from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and an undergraduate degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the California Alumni Club of Hawai‘i, and serves on the boards for Re-use Hawai‘i, Palama Settlement, and the Urban Land Institute.

  • Board Member

    Christine Sanpei is a Planning and Development Manager at Kamehameha Schools. As the largest private landowner in the state, KS has a great kuleana, to steward our lands for the betterment of the lāhui in perpetuity. Our Commercial Real Estate Division stewards over 15,400 Acres spanning a variety of industries including retail, housing, office, mixed-use, industrial, and hospitality.

    Before joining Kamehameha Schools’, Christine worked at Hilton Grand Vacations as a Regional Project Manager responsible for leading and implementing their 5-year master plan.

    Christine earned her Doctorate of Architecture from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and has over 15 years of experience in the profession. Notable roles in her career include Director of Interior Architecture at KYA Design Group, Project Manager at AHL, and Project Designer at ADM. Her wealth of experience reflects a deep commitment to shaping and enhancing the built environment.

  • Board Treasurer

    Casey Ching is Vice President of Corporate Properties for Servco Pacific Inc., one of the largest private companies based in Hawaiʻi. In his role, Casey is primarily focused on developing and executing strategy for Servco's real estate holdings in Hawaiʻi, the U.S., and Australia. Prior to joining Servco, Casey was a senior asset manager with Kamehameha Schools endowment group, responsible for a $300 million commercial real estate portfolio. His background also includes tenure with Stanford Carr Development as acquisitions and project manager, and with Pricewaterhouse Coopers as a senior consultant. Casey is a former Certified Public Accountant.

    His academic career includes an MBA from the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors, in Business Economics and Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

  • Board Member

    Lucas Sayin is a Partner with Spire Hawai‘i LLP, a consulting and CPA firm. Lucas focuses on providing accounting, assurance, and consulting services, including audits and process improvement services to various organizations. Lucas has over 12 years of experience providing assurance and advisory services to private companies and government agencies in the not-for-profit, government, real estate, hospitality and renewable energy industry.

    Lucas is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and a Bachelors of Business Administration in International Business. He is a member of the AICPA and HSCPA and also serves on the Advisory Board for the School of Accountancy at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the Board of Directors for the Arcadia Family of Companies.

  • Board Member

    Kirra Downing is Communication Director for DTL (detail), a Hawaiian strategy studio, and is responsible for leading the firm’s strategic communications services including public relations, community outreach, and event coordination. Prior to joining DTL in 2015, Kirra worked for Kamehameha Schools where she supported the Endowment’s public relations and marketing efforts for the schools’ farm-to-table and conservation initiatives as well as Kamehameha Schools’ 15-year Our Kaka‘ako Master Plan.

    With over 10 years of professional experience in navigating complex public relations strategies in Hawai‘i, Kirra has coordinated marketing, public relations, community engagement, and event planning efforts for various industries in Hawai‘i including commercial real estate, agricultural, conservation, and culinary.

  • Emeritus Board Member

    Paul Morgan is an architect interested in sustainable living and design. He lives in Mānoa Valley and is married with 3 grown kids and 3 grandchildren.