Mayor Charmaine Tavares has appointed Lori Tsuhako as director of the Department of Housing and Human Concerns and Jo-Ann Ridao as deputy director.

Tsuhako had been serving as the deputy, and Ridao was the mayor's senior executive assistant and housing commissioner.

Tsuhako is a licensed social worker and has worked extensively with programs that provide services to children and families. She earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

She replaces Vanessa Medeiros, who resigned last month.

Ridao is a former managing director at Lokahi Pacific, a nonprofit organization that develops housing projects and provides loans to small businesses.