{"id":18786,"date":"2026-03-04T08:22:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=18786"},"modified":"2026-03-04T08:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:22:05","slug":"2026-staff-spotlight-jesse-k-souki-deputy-superintendent-of-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/2026-staff-spotlight-jesse-k-souki-deputy-superintendent-of-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Spotlight: Jesse K. Souki (Deputy Superintendent of Operations)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jesse K. Souki<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ti\u00eau \u0111\u1ec1: <\/strong>Deputy Superintendent of Operations
\u0110\u1ecba \u0111i\u1ec3m l\u00e0m vi\u1ec7c:<\/strong> HIDOE state office
S\u1ed1 n\u0103m trong HIDOE:<\/strong> < 1 year
S\u1ed1 n\u0103m gi\u1eef ch\u1ee9c v\u1ee5:<\/strong> < 1 year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse Souki was appointed in Aug. 2025 as deputy superintendent for operations, a senior leadership role that oversees major infrastructure, facilities and support services. Souki brings two decades of leadership experience across public agencies and institutions, including as executive director and CEO of the Hawai\u2018i Community Development Authority, first deputy director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and director of the state Office of Planning. He most recently served as associate general counsel at the University of Hawai\u02bbi system, where he advised on complex land use, real property and governance issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H: H\u00e3y m\u00f4 t\u1ea3 ng\u1eafn g\u1ecdn con \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng s\u1ef1 nghi\u1ec7p c\u1ee7a b\u1ea1n.<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> I attended and graduated from Hawai\u2018i public schools, which makes serving in this role especially meaningful. I began my career in public service working in the U.S. Senate on transportation and small business issues. After law school, I practiced land use and environmental law in both government and private practice. I later served in executive leadership roles with the Hawai\u2018i Office of Planning, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Honolulu rail project, and the Hawai\u2018i Community Development Authority. Most recently, I served as associate general counsel for the University of Hawai\u2018i System, advising on land use and public asset management. Throughout my career, I have focused on infrastructure, public lands and responsible development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How did you get into this field?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> Growing up in Hawai\u2018i and attending public schools here gave me a strong appreciation for public institutions and the role they play in shaping opportunity. I was drawn to work at the intersection of law, policy and community impact, and maintained one of the first legal blogs on that topic. Over time, that interest evolved into leadership roles focused on infrastructure and large public systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H: Nhi\u1ec7m v\u1ee5 ch\u00ednh c\u1ee7a b\u1ea1n l\u00e0 g\u00ec?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> As deputy superintendent of operations, I oversee facilities, campus operations and information technology services across the Department. This includes capital improvement projects, repairs and maintenance, transportation support, food services coordination, sustainability initiatives, and cybersecurity. My role is to ensure that our schools operate safely, efficiently and reliably so educators and students can focus on teaching and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H: Ph\u1ea7n kh\u00f3 kh\u0103n nh\u1ea5t trong c\u00f4ng vi\u1ec7c c\u1ee7a b\u1ea1n l\u00e0 g\u00ec?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> Balancing immediate operational needs with long-term planning. Many of our facilities are more than 50 years old, and we must prioritize carefully to address deferred maintenance while investing strategically in modernization and resilience. The scale of the system requires disciplined decision-making and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How does your job support students?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T: <\/strong>I am also a parent of a public school student, so I understand this work from both a professional and personal perspective. Students learn best in safe, well-maintained and properly supported schools. By ensuring that facilities are functional, buses operate safely, food services run effectively, and technology systems are secure and reliable, we create the foundation for student success. Operational excellence supports educational excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H: Ph\u1ea7n y\u00eau th\u00edch nh\u1ea5t trong c\u00f4ng vi\u1ec7c n\u00e0y l\u00e0 g\u00ec?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> The teamwork. No one accomplishes this work alone. I am fortunate to work with a highly dedicated team across facilities, operations and technology who genuinely care about the students, staff and communities we serve. Seeing that collective commitment in action is the most rewarding part of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H: B\u1ea1n c\u00f3 l\u1eddi khuy\u00ean n\u00e0o cho nh\u1eefng ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111ang c\u00e2n nh\u1eafc v\u1ecb tr\u00ed n\u00e0y kh\u00f4ng?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> Develop strong analytical and communication skills, and learn how to work effectively in teams. This role requires collaboration across branches, agencies, school leaders, legislators and community partners. You need to be comfortable making decisions with incomplete information, prioritizing limited resources and balancing short-term needs with long-term strategy. A genuine passion for public service is essential. That sense of purpose helps sustain you through challenging and difficult periods and keeps the focus on the students and communities we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Fun fact about yourself?<\/strong>
M\u1ed8T:<\/strong> I am an Eagle Scout and enjoy hiking and running. I have completed several marathons, and training for them has taught me discipline, endurance and the importance of steady progress\u2014lessons that also apply to public service leadership.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jesse K. Souki Title: Deputy Superintendent of OperationsJob site: HIDOE state officeYears in the HIDOE: < 1 yearYears in the position: < 1 year Jesse Souki was appointed in Aug. 2025 as deputy superintendent for operations, a senior leadership role that oversees major infrastructure, facilities and support services. Souki brings two decades of leadership experience […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":16859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"856,888,893,1022,1619,1622","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,21,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hoohaaheo","category-news","category-staff-spotlight"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":22,"label":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo"},{"value":21,"label":"News"},{"value":58,"label":"Staff Spotlight"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HIDOE-Logo-Featured-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Kim Yuen","author_link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/author\/kimberly-yuenk12-hi-us\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":22,"name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","slug":"hoohaaheo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":70,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":22,"category_count":70,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Ho\u2018oha\u2018aheo","category_nicename":"hoohaaheo","category_parent":0},{"term_id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":310,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":310,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":58,"name":"Staff Spotlight","slug":"staff-spotlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":58,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":22,"count":29,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":58,"category_count":29,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Staff Spotlight","category_nicename":"staff-spotlight","category_parent":22}],"tag_info":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 07:16:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_status","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18786"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18791,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18786\/revisions\/18791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}