First Vice President

Hawaiian Electric Co. Jim Kelly is Vice President, Government and Community Relations and Corporate Communications for Hawaiian Electric. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s relationships with state and local government and its community engagement and customer education activities. He also oversees internal and external communications. Before joining HECO in 2016, Mr. Kelly worked as manager of member services and communications for Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative, where he was responsible for KIUC’s customer service and community engagement. Mr. Kelly joined the energy industry after a career as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Massachusetts, Minnesota, California and Hawai‘i. He worked as editor of Pacific Business News in Honolulu and as managing editor of The Honolulu Advertiser. A native of Minnesota, Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He has also taken graduate-level courses in historic preservation at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His community work includes serving as member of the board of directors of the American Red Cross, Hawai‘i State Chapter and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai‘i. He serves on HHF’s Executive Committee as Board Vice President and is also a member of the fundraising committee.