DBEDT Welcomes Seth Colby as Chief State Economist

For Immediate Release: August 14, 2025

HONOLULU—The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) has appointed Seth Colby, Ph.D., as its chief state economist. In his new role, Colby serves as the administrator for the DBEDT Research and Economic Analysis Division (READ), overseeing the comprehensive data collection, analysis and reporting on various aspects of Hawaii’s economy, including tourism, labor, energy and demographics.

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.

“We are excited to welcome Seth as our new chief state economist,” DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka said. “At DBEDT, our mission is to promote a Hawaii economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive. To accomplish this, we rely on the economic analyses and statistics from READ. I look forward to Seth leading these efforts, building on READ’s strong reputation for providing work products that are crucial for informed decision-making by the public and private sectors.”

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to lead the exceptional team at READ and provide knowledge products that promote the state’s economic development and help our leaders make informed decisions,” said Colby.

Earlier in his career, Colby focused on economic and social development in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, working with the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and Johns Hopkins University. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy from Johns Hopkins University.

Colby is the fourth individual to serve as the chief state economist and is the successor to Dr. Eugene Tian, who retired at the end of May after being in the position for 15 years.

About the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT)
DBEDT is Hawaii’s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, as well as foreign trade advantages. The DBEDT mission is to achieve a Hawaii economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all of Hawaii’s citizens. Through its attached agencies, the department fosters planned community development, creates affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments and promotes innovation sector job growth.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Laci Goshi
Communications Officer
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
Cell: 808-518-5480