Bob Fishman has over forty years of diverse experience in government and private enterprise. Bob retired from the military in September 2003 as a Colonel in the US Army Reserve and Deputy Commander of the US Army Reserve for the Pacific Theater. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, he was called up for nearly a year of active duty at the Pentagon as Senior Advisor for Homeland Security to the Chief, US Army Reserve.
From 2010-2012, Bob has served as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu. He held previous senior posts in government as Managing Director of the City & County of Honolulu, as the first CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and on the professional staff of three Hawaii governors, holding the positions of Chief of Staff as well as Director of Communications and Special Projects. He has been General Manager of Hawaii’s 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium and a senior staff member in the Hawaii State Senate. His service includes membership on numerous government boards and commissions, including the Honolulu Ethics Commission, the Honolulu Charter Commission, as Chairman of the Hawaii Convention Center Authority, and he served as Chief of Staff for the 1992 Hawaii State Commission for Government Redesign. In 1998, Bob was awarded the Award for Excellence in Public Administration by the American Society for Public Administration.
Bob has successfully managed both local and international business entities. Prior to his 7+ years tenure at DOD software provider 21st Century Systems, Inc. where as president, he successfully provided leadership toward a profitable asset buyout for the shareholders, he was a senior advisor and managing director for Hawaii/Pacific region for Perot Systems Government Services. He also served as Vice President for Airport Services of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. and Managing Director/COO for Castle Park Hawaii (a family amusement park), later taking a key role in the parent firm’s public offering. As Executive VP of Hemmeter Aviation, Inc., he led the firm to become a highly-profitable, international leader in corporate jet aircraft operations, ground-handling and fueling. He also served as Vice President of Capital Investment of Hawaii, Inc., and as President of its petroleum trading subsidiary.
Bob holds an MBA and a BA from the University of Hawaii, where he has been teaching public administration, ethics and leadership, including homeland security courses, for several years. He has also taught public and business administration courses at graduate and undergraduate levels at Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University in past years. In 2000-2001, Bob served with distinction as a court-appointed mediator in a complex government zoning dispute, and in 2001, Bob was inducted into the University of Hawaii College of Business Alumni Hall of Honor. In addition, over the past two decades, Bob has taught professional management effectiveness seminars for government, military, and private enterprise.
Bob is the recipient of numerous military and civilian awards, including the Legion of Merit (w/ oak leaf cluster), the Navy Meritorious Public Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Hawaii National Guard Medal for Merit, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and others. In 2000, Bob was nominated by the Governor of Hawaii to serve as the Chairman of the US Executive Committee for the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Honolulu.
Bob has been a charter member and former director of the Metropolitan Honolulu Rotary, and a past president, director, and member of numerous community and public organizations, including the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
Bob and his wife Carla, a retired teacher and businesswoman, live in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have two sons, Nathan (a Clark County, NV firefighter/paramedic), Michael (a Hawaii-based, federally-certified aircraft mechanic), and four grandchildren.