DAGS Announces New Leadership in Business Transformation Office

HONOLULU - The Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) is announcing new leadership in its Business Transformation Office (BTO). Roxanne Watanabe will be taking on the role as BTO Director effective immediately. Watanabe previously served as a branch manager in DAGS' Accounting Division.

The BTO was created to shepherd the new Enterprise Financial System (EFS), which will affect all state agencies. It's a $66-million effort to upgrade the current financial system, which is 55-years-old and handles more than 900,000 transactions per year totaling in excess of $72 billion in revenues and expenses for the state of Hawaiʻi.

Watanabe has worked in the Accounting Division for over five years and previously worked at the state departments of Transportation and Education, as well as the Department of the Attorney General. "Roxanne's career in public service has spanned 27 years and all of it in fiscal management. She is the perfect fit to continue the next phase of the EFS project. She has deep archival knowledge of not only accounting at DAGS, but has worked with many of the key stakeholders," says Keith Regan, DAGS director and comptroller.

"We are excited about the vision and direction Roxanne will be leading us in as we move forward. She brings new energy and a different philosophy to how she approaches this work," added Susan Abe, DAGS BTO deputy director.

"This is a project meant to be driven by the people who will be using it. It's going to be a functionally led team. I've spent most of my career in a paper-driven process and understand the importance, as well as the opportunity, that EFS will bring," enthuses Watanabe. "EFS will help us be more transparent across the state and to share data with other agencies. I am incredibly excited to be part of this program and help the state modernize."

Watanabe succeeds Yovo Stefanov, whose skill set was invaluable in launching the project through its first phase.