Corporate Team

Senior Executives

Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN (Ret.), President and Chief Executive Officer
Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN (Ret.), former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, serves as Managing Director of J. F. Lehman and Company with principal responsibilities as President and CEO of the Hawaii Superferry.

Admiral Fargo joined the private sector business community after a distinguished career serving the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense.  He was the twentieth officer to hold the position of Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command.  As the senior U.S. military commander in East Asia, the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas, he led the largest unified command while directing the joint operations of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force across 100 million miles.  He was responsible to the President and the Secretary of Defense, and was the U.S. military representative for collective defense arrangements in the Pacific.

Admiral Fargo also served as the 29th Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from October 1999 to May 2002.  His service as a leader in the Pacific was preceded by his command of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and Naval Forces of the Central Command during two years of Iraqi contingency operations from July 1996 to July 1998.  His 35 years of service included six tours in Washington, DC, in addition to five commands in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Middle East.

Born in San Diego, CA, he attended high school in Coronado, CA, and Sasebo, Japan.  Admiral Fargo graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1970.  He is a 1989 recipient of the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership.

Admiral Fargo serves on the Boards of Directors for Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Airlines and United States Automobile Association.  He is active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, the Iolani School Board of Governors, and the Hawaii Pacific University Board of Trustees.  He is the National Vice Chairman of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund.

John L. Garibaldi, Vice Chairman
Prior to joining the founding group of Hawaii Superferry in January 2003, Garibaldi served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Zephyr Insurance Co. Inc. Garibaldi was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hawaiian Airlines Inc. His experience also includes serving as a Trustee of the Queen Emma Foundation, and as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Queen’s Health Systems. He has also served on the boards of directors of the Leventhal School of Accounting, Hawaiian Host Inc., Friends of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Oahu, and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii. Garibaldi graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Neil Takekawa, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Takekawa served as President of Roberts Hawaii, a full-service transportation, sightseeing tours and attractions company, prior to joining Hawaii Superferry in August 2008. Takekawa’s extensive experience in market development and building premier customer service organizations in the transportation industry has also included serving as President & CEO of Segue Strategies and Hawaii Island Air. He was President of Aloha Island Air (now Island Air) from 1995-2004, and Vice President of Customer Services for Aloha Airlines from 1992-1995. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii with advance studies at University of Southern California and Stanford University. He serves on the boards of the Japan America Society of Hawaii and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and is a member of the Hawaii Asia Pacific Association and Skål International.

Richard Houck, Vice President of Operations
Richard Houck most recently served as Commander of the 13th Coast Guard District where he directed Coast Guard operations in the Pacific Northwest, including homeland security, maritime safety, search and rescue, and environmental protection. Houck has also held positions as the Assistant Commander for Resources (CFO) in the U.S. Coast Guard, Chief of Staff (COO) of the 17th Coast Guard district of Alaska, Commander (CEO) of Integrated Support Command and Director of the DOT – DHS transition team. Houck is a distinguished graduate of Naval War College, and holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering and Naval Architecture from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He earned his master’s in mechanical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a MBA from Pepperdine University. He completed the Senior Executive Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Directors

Roy Aukai, Director of Port Operations
Aukai previously served as Senior Director with Hawaiian Airlines for 39 years before joining Hawaii Superferry in 2007. Aukai’s experience at Hawaiian included working in the highest levels of customer service, baggage and ramp service, aircraft fueling, and administrative services. During his career with Hawaiian Airlines, Aukai also managed the company’s Honolulu and Pago Pago stations where he was responsible for nearly 700 personnel and a multi-million dollar budget.

John Keever, Director of Marine Operations
Prior to joining Hawaii Superferry in 2007, Keever served as Vice President of Marine Programs and Student Development of the California Maritime Academy. With over 25 years of maritime experience, Keever has held various executive positions at the California Maritime Academy including Professor of Maritime Management, Vice President of Administration and Finance, and President of the Academy’s foundation. He served as a Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve and holds a master’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation and a master’s in public administration from Golden Gate University. He is the author of three maritime publications, one of which is used in maritime academies across the U.S.

Madeline Mililani Olds, Director of Customer Experience
Ms. Olds joined Hawaii Superferry in 2006 and has over 20 years of experience in travel and hospitality management. Prior to Hawaii Superferry, Ms. Olds served as Passenger Sales Manager for American Airlines, Airline Marketing and Inbound Campaign Management at MCI, Vice President North America Sales & Customer Service for Club Med and Director of Land Services with NCL America. She attended Marymount, CA and Kennedy Western in the combined bachelor’s and master's program in international business. Ms. Olds also attended the Thunderbird International School of Business’ French immersion business program.

Rodney Weaver, Director of IT Operations
Weaver has over 15 years of technical operations experience, including systems, database and networks administration. Prior to joining Hawaii Superferry in 2006, Weaver served as Senior Unix and Auction Operations Manager at WR Hambrech & Co. LLC, a large financial service firm based in San Francisco. He has also held positions at Transwestern Publishing, WorldPages, Robert Half, International, Promus Hotels and the Institute for the Study of Security Markets. Weaver holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering technology from the University of Memphis.