| Susan Tai KanekoDirector - Kaua`i Economic Development PlanKaua`i Economic Development Board (KEDB) |
Susan Tai Kaneko is the Director - Kaua`i Economic Development Plan at Kaua`i Economic Development Board (KEDB), overseeing their initiatives in renewable energy, food and agriculture, and strategic planning. She also manages the implementation of the county’s ten-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic (CEDS) plan. Susan has over 13 years of business development, economic development and consulting experience. Before joining KEDB, Susan was the Director of the Hawai`i Small Business Development Center Network’s Kaua`i office (SBDC). Prior to SBDC, Susan also served as the Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, playing a lead role to create what is today the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business.
Susan attended the University of Chicago for a BA in biology and a minor in French. She was a recipient of the 2009 Hawai`i SBA Women in Business Champion; has spoken on panels at events such as the Kaua`i Chamber of Commerce Small Business Expo, Kaua`i Women in Business Roundtable, TechEnterprise Hawai`i, and Leadership Kaua`i; and served on boards and committees with organizations such as the Kaua`i Energy Sustainability Plan planning committee, Kaua`i Chamber of Commerce, and the statewide Healthcare Skills Panel.