Lori Kahikina will be staying the course at the Department of Design and Construction and will be continuing the initiatives she started with departing chief Collins Lam.

She said the main goals remain to minimize change orders on construction projects and to keep department costs down.

“I don’t think I’ll be making any drastic changes,” she told Inside Honolulu minutes ago.

She’s running the show while Lam is on vacation this month, will become acting director after he’s officially gone, and is on track to become permanent director soon.

Kahikina’s appointment moved forward from public hearing last night, she said, and the matter will be in committee in early 2012.