Hawaii’s new chief economist tasked with tracking tourism, labor, energy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Seth Colby has been named chief state economist by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

In his role, he will serve as the administrator for the DBEDT Research and Economic Analysis Division (READ), which oversees data collection and analysis of Hawaii’s economy, including tourism, labor, energy and demographics.

DBEDT director James Tokioka said the division is vital to “providing work products that are crucial for informed decision-making by the public and private sectors.”

Colby most recently served as the tax research and planning officer for the Hawaii Department of Taxation, where he oversaw the research for the state revenue system, fiscal impacts of proposed legislation and macroeconomic forecasting.

Earlier in his career, he focused on economic and social development in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and has a doctoral degree in political economy from Johns Hopkins University.

Colby is the fourth to serve as the chief state economist. He succeeds Eugene Tian, who retired after holding the position for 15 years.