HONOLULU –The Department of Defense has approved the selection of retired US Army Maj. Gen. Suzanne (Suzy) Puanani Vares-Lum as director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), a Department of Defense organization dedicated to advancing security cooperation in the region. Vares-Lum was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and is an alumna of the Center’s Transnational Security Cooperation course (TSC16-2). She is the first native Hawaiian and the first alumni to serve as the Center’s director. She comes to the Center after serving as President of the East-West Center since 2022. As a retired major general with 34 years of service, Vares-Lum has held key roles addressing priority national security challenges in the region. She brings a wealth of executive leadership experience, including five years serving with and advising the senior officials at US Indo-Pacific Command, where she cultivated and supported key relationships with nations throughout the Indo-Pacific region.