The head of the agency that oversees Oahu’s neighborhood board system is stepping down to take a job with the city rail authority.

Shawn Hamamoto has been executive secretary of the Neighborhood Commission Office since August 2015. Mayor Kirk Caldwell praised Hamamoto for certifying neighborhood assistants, who provide administrative staffing for the island’s 33 boards, in parliamentary procedures. Caldwell also said that Hamamoto championed the neighborhood board system when there were efforts before the Honolulu Charter Commission to eliminate them.

James Skizewski, a community relations specialist with the office, will serve as acting executive director effective Tuesday.

Hamamoto is taking a position with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation as an information specialist tasked with conducting community education and outreach.