The Kaua'i Island Utility Co-op board has selected Randall Hee as its president, a position he has held in an acting capacity since November.

Board Chairman Dennis Esaki said he was selected after a nationwide search that generated several qualified applicants.

"It all came down to who we can trust to bring stability to our co-op; someone who the employees, the board and the rest of our membership could trust from day one," Esaki said.

Hee, who has a master's degree in business administration, is a former McBryde Sugar Co. mechanical engineer, a veteran power plant operator and former elected KIUC board member.