HSSO - Behind the Scenes
Get to know a little more about the dedicated group of individuals that passionately volunteer their time to providing a meaningful experience for the Science Olympiad teachers and students across the state of Hawai'i.
For all email correspondence, please email both the primary and secondary emails listed.
Thom Millard, LL.M.
President
Secondary: hssopresident@hotmail.com, thommillard@hsso.org
A Californian native, I graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and commissioned into the Naval Service in 1982. I served a total of 28 years in both the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves, and while in San Diego earned a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Law (Taxation) degrees. While serving in the Reserves, I practiced law for several years, then transitioned into the Defense industry, where I have held positions in modeling and simulation, information technology program management and corporate operations. I am currently a Naval Operations Analyst with Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In addition to being a golf addict married to a golf addict, I am the Senior Vice-President of the Honolulu Council, United States Navy League.
Kyson Murasaki
Vice President
Primary: ***
Secondary: ksm2302scioly@gmail.com
Brought up on the island of O’ahu, I graduated from ‘Iolani School in 2023. I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Shidler College of Business (graduating Fall 2026), and also have been taking classes in their graduate program (BAM 4+1 pathway) as well. I have been involved in the Science Olympiad program since my freshman year of high school, where I mainly participated in events such as Write It Do It, Codebusters, Scrambler, Fermi Questions, and all three of the rotating balsa wood events. I was a student coach for ‘Iolani School’s Division B team in my junior and senior years of high school, and have continued as a coach for all three divisions throughout my college career. In my free time, I enjoy doing ceramics (mainly wheel throwing), couponing (not crazy like those people on TV, though), and taking the occasional trip to Las Vegas.
Antonio Velasco
State Director (Division B & C)
Secondary: hssostatedirector@gmail.com
A Hawaiʻi native and six-season Science Olympiad alumnus, I graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and currently work as a Semiconductor Package Reliability Engineer at AMD. I am also pursuing a part-time M.S. in Systems Engineering at UCLA. Previously, I held engineering roles at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, and other organizations across the semiconductor and electronics industries. My involvement with Science Olympiad extends beyond Hawaiʻi, having served as the Orange County Regional Director in Southern California and on the planning committees for both the Northern and Southern California State Tournaments. Outside of work and Science Olympiad, I enjoy playing piano, golfing, traveling, and fine-tuning my espresso machine.
Dylan Sodetani
Division A (Elementary) State Director
Ryan Girard
Kauai Regional Director
Kelli Ching
UH Manoa Regional Director
Brennan Hee
Treasurer
Secondary: hssotreasurer@gmail.com, brennanhee@hsso.org
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, I am a graduate of ʻIolani School and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a quantitative focus. I participated in Scienfe Olympiad while I was in intermediate and high school. My professional experience includes working in nonprofit education as a database analyst and developer. I currently serve as the Travel and Expense Administrator at Kamehameha Schools. In my free time I enjoy traveling and exploring new places.
I-Chia Shih
Leeward Regional Co-Director
Sadie Mossman
PLEASE CONTACT STATE DIRECTOR UNTIL POSITION IS FILLED
Hawaii Island Regional Director
Sean Calder
John Sandvig
Secretary, Webmaster
Secondary: johnsandvig@hsso.org
I am a Science and Engineering teacher at my alma mater, Mililani High School. While I was not a Science Olympiad competitor in my own student days, I developed a strong passion for the program during my time as a coach. Alongside my work as Secretary and Webmaster for HSSO, I also stay actively involved in the local STEM community as a mentor and coach for Mililani High School's FIRST robotics program.
Seri Nakamura
State Tournament Director (Division B & C)
Primary:
Secondary: hssostatetournamentdirector@gmail.com