By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU) – Mayor Rick Blangiardi is pleased to announce the appointment of Gene Albano as the new director and chief engineer of the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Facility Maintenance (DFM). Albano brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this critical position and will lead a department of more than 300 employees responsible for maintaining and improving City infrastructure.
“We are thrilled that Gene has agreed to become our next director and chief engineer of the Department of Facility Maintenance,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “This is an absolutely critical job in the day-to-day of city operations, and Gene’s track record of leadership and providing quality engineering services over the course of his career give us great confidence for the department’s future. Gene has distinguished himself as both a community and industry leader, and we are confident that we have found the right leader at the right time for this important role.”
DFM is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance programs for City roads, bridges, traffic signs, streetlights, streams and public buildings. The department also maintains the automotive, heavy vehicle and construction equipment fleets of most city departments and agencies.
Albano’s first day with the Department of Facility Management is scheduled for Monday, July 10, 2023. He fills the vacancy that was created when Dawn Szewczyk, the department’s former director and chief engineer, accepted a job in the private sector in April 2023. His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Honolulu City Council.
Having most recently been employed as Senior Vice President of WSP USA, Albano is no stranger to significant projects across the City and County of Honolulu, having worked on:
- Kaka‘ako Infrastructure Redevelopment
- The Honolulu Fire Department’s South St. headquarters, as well as fire stations in McCully and East Kapolei
- The Department of Facility Maintenance’s Hālawa Base Yard
- The Department of Transportation Services’ TheBus facility in Pearl City
“Thank you for the tremendous opportunity to be part of the administration,” said Gene Albano. “I hope to utilize my experience from both a local small business and global corporate perspective to offer an executive, technical, progressive, positive, and forward-thinking mindset toward achieving the City’s and Mayor Blangiardi’s missions and goals.”
Albano is a Moanalua High School graduate and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University Long Beach.