New Auditor joins the City and County of Honolulu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 30, 2021

Honolulu welcomes new City Auditor

Arushi Kumar begins her tenure Dec. 1

(HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I) – Confirmed by the Honolulu City Council October 6, Arushi Kumar becomes the new Honolulu City Auditor on Wednesday.

Kumar told the Council that one of her long-term goals for the office is, “to increase the public awareness of the kind of work the City Auditor’s Office does, in service to the taxpayers; to make sure that the government is spending money and creating programs to serve them as best as possible.”

“We are excited to welcome Arushi Kumar to the role of City Auditor,” said Councilmember Radiant Cordero, member of the Special Auditor Search Committee. “Our search was not just local or national, but was global as well. Of the applicants, Arushi was the highest-scoring, according to the evaluation criteria developed by the search committee. We also gratefully thank community members Patricia Mau-Shimizu and Natalie Iwasa for volunteering their time and expertise as part of this fruitful effort.”

Kumar brings extensive experience to the role from her work in the U.S. Government Accountability Office and her role in Seattle. Kumar has a Master of Public Policy degree as well as a degree in Economics. During her time at the US GAO, she became deeply familiar with the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) — also known as the “Yellow Book” — which are the audit regulations followed by all federal audit agencies. Kumar was the consensus choice of the Special Auditor Search Committee based on her degrees and work experience in line with City Charter qualifications. She also will seek Certified Internal Auditor credentials.

“She demonstrated the passion and the excitement for this role, as well as a very realistic view of the challenges she might face as Honolulu’s new auditor,” said Honolulu City Council Budget Committee Chair Calvin Say, at the October 6 full Council meeting at which Kumar was confirmed. “Her eagerness and drive as well as her experiences in Washington, D.C. and Seattle are what make Miss Kumar an excellent candidate for this position,” said Say, who also served as a selection committee member.

Kumar succeeds Acting City Auditor Troy Shimasaki, who had served in the role since 2019.