Management Team
Jeffery Kissel
President & CEO
Mr. Kissel is a graduate of the University of Hawaii and started his career at The Gas Company. He continued his career in Hawaii, on the U.S. mainland and in Europe and Asia, developing expertise in global finance, operations and growth strategy. He has more than 20 years of hands-on experience in the utility, petroleum, engineering and construction industries. He has spent the last 10 years focusing on environmental engineering, renewable energy and environmental remediation.
He also serves as a director and chairman of the Audit Committee of ML Macadamia Orchards, L.P., the world's largest producer of macadamia nuts.
George T. Aoki
Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
George T. Aoki is the Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for The Gas Company. He is responsible for providing legal advice and support to The Gas Company’s administrative and operational activities involving such legal areas as contracts, litigation, regulatory, bankruptcy, insurance, environmental and real property. He is also responsible for providing Company secretarial services and support and for managing the Company’s Corporate Records activities.
Aoki joined The Gas Company in 1979. Prior to that he was with the law firm of Conklin and Schneider and before that worked as a Deputy Corporation Counsel, for the City and County of Honolulu .
He received his Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a Law degree from The University of Santa Clara. He is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and a retired member of the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate.
Debra Henton
Vice President - Customer Affairs
Debra Henton is Vice President of Customer Affairs and responsible for overseeing meter reading, billing, call center activities, cash remittance, customer service and credit/collections. She started with TGC’s then parent company Pacific Resources, Inc. (PRI) in 1987 as an accounts payable clerk. She was subsequently promoted to a number of accounting positions and served as an office supervisor of TGC’s Kauai Branch operations prior to being named to her current position.
Before joining PRI, she was self-employed in a family business, Kauai HydroSeed & Landscape, for eight years.
Debra has an Associate Arts Degree from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and Kauai Community College and also attended Hawaii Pacific University . She is a member of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Alu Like and the Organization of Women Leaders.
Michael P. LaPorte
Vice President & Controller
Michael P. LaPorte is Vice President & Controller at The Gas Company. He is responsible for the company’s accounting function and has administrative oversight of the payroll department.
LaPorte joined The Gas Company’s then corporate parent, Pacific Resources, Inc. (PRI), in 1985 as a corporate financial analyst and transferred to The Gas Company in 1988. During his career, Mike has held positions as manager of financial planning and analysis, project manager for the company’s new Orcom CIS system, data administrator and director of accounting and administration.
LaPorte holds a Master’s degree in business administration and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii .
Tom Wellman
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Mr. Wellman is a Certified Public Accountant (1986, not in public practice) and a Certified Management Accountant (1987). He holds a Masters of Accounting degree from the University of Hawaii (1984) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University (Provo Utah campus, 1983).
He is presently a member of the Hawaii Public Television Foundation Board, the Aloha United Way Board, BYU-Hawaii Campus School of Business Executive Advisory Council and the University of Hawaii Friends of the School of Accounting. Mr. Wellman was inducted into the University of Hawaii's College of Business Alumni Hall of Honor in 1998.
He is currently a member of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Hawaii Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants, and the Brigham Young University and University of Hawaii Alumni Associations.
He is Past President of the Financial Executive Institute's Hawaii Chapter and past Chairman of the American Diabetes Association's Hawaii Chapter.
Mr. Wellman spent approximately five years with the Honolulu office of Deloitte, with principal clients in oil and gas, health care, banking and non-profit industries. He joined Alexander & Baldwin in 1989 as an internal auditor and, after 17 years left as Vice President, Treasurer and Controller of A&B and its real-estate business, A&B, Properties, Inc. He joined The Gas Company, LLC in June 2006.
Kenneth T. Yamamoto
Vice President - Human Resources
Kenneth T. Yamamoto is Vice President of Human Resources for The Gas Company. He is responsible for developing, implementing and managing all policies, procedures and programs covering employee relations, benefits, employment, salary administration, payroll, industrial relations, and human resources information systems for The Gas Company. Prior to this assignment, he was the Manager, Human Resources for Citizens Utilities Company The Gas Company Division. Yamamoto first joined the Company when it was Honolulu Gas Company Ltd. in 1971 after serving a tour in the U.S. Army as a Captain in the Adjutant General Corps. Ken has held various specialized and general personnel and industrial relations positions throughout the Company’s evolution and ownership changes. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaii where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in management.
Thomas K. L. M. Young
Senior Vice President - Gas Operations
Thomas K.L.M. Young Young is Senior Vice President of operations for The Gas Company. His responsibilities include overseeing the company’s synthetic natural gas (SNG) manufacturing process, the LPG Supply and Distribution operation, the Oahu utility gas distribution operation and the Neighbor Island operation. He is also responsible for all feedstock supply contracts and procurement of propane imports.
Young joined The Gas Company as an assistant chemist with the SNG Plant in 1981. He has held progressively responsible roles within The Gas Company, including serving as distribution manager, SNG plant manager, business process review project manager, manager of manufacturing & supply and as director of Oahu operations.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Hawaii . Young is the Hawaii State representative on the Board of Directors for the National Propane Gas Association.
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