HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is excited to announce our support of Jill Tokuda for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District, which covers suburban and rural Oahu, including the Leeward and Windward coasts and all of Hawaii’s neighbor islands.

“I’ve known Jill since we were 7th-grade classmates in Kaneohe,” said HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr. “From then on, I got to witness first-hand the key qualities that were for certain about Jill — she’s determined, she’s dedicated, and she’s driven to succeed. She believes that our public schools need our support as they are teaching our future.”

Jill said, “As a mom of two boys that attend our public schools, I’m honored and thrilled to receive HSTA’s support and the backing of our hardworking teachers. If elected to Congress, I’ll fight every day to ensure that our teachers and students have the resources they need to be successful in the classroom.”

At 11 a.m. today, Jill will join HSTA leaders for a news conference, which will be streamed on HSTA’s Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter channels.

HSTA recommends candidates who are strong supporters of public education, our educators, labor, and are committed to creating a better future for our keiki. HSTA sent candidates questionnaires, and HSTA’s Government Relations Committee (GRC) interviewed the candidates who answered those questionnaires. The GRC is made up of volunteer member leaders from each of HSTA’s 12 chapters across the state of Hawaii.

Based on those responses and the interviews, the committee recommended Jill to the HSTA Board of Directors. Board members then sent their recommendation to the National Education Association, the HSTA’s parent union, which made a final decision to support her in the congressional race.

A devoted public servant and public school graduate, Jill has a long record of serving the community.

Jill served in the Hawaii State Senate for 12 years, representing Kaneohe and Kailua on the island of Oahu from 2006 to 2018. During that time, she chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where she was responsible for balancing the state’s $14 billion budget. She also chaired the Senate’s Labor, Education, Higher Education, and Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs committees and served as Senate Majority Whip.

Throughout her time in the Legislature, Jill focused on measures that put families first: establishing the state’s first Executive Office on Early Learning to give young children and families access to preschool; supporting the Hawaii Keiki Program to provide access to school nursing services in Hawaii’s public schools; creating a Special Action Team on Rental Housing to build 22,500 units by 2026; and funding the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to provide free in-state tuition to qualified University of Hawaii Community College students.

Jill has extensive private sector experience as a small business owner of her own consulting practice. She provides strategic planning and communications, government relations, and program development support to some of Hawaii’s most established foundations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. During the last two years, Jill took the lead in working with the state to track billions in pandemic relief funding to Hawaii, advocating for our fair share.

Jill is currently a co-director of CyberHawaii, an affiliate of CyberUSA, which supports workforce development in IT/cyber security/data science and works in the community with small businesses and nonprofits to be more cyber aware and resilient. She is also the external affairs director for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, for which she focuses on securing public and private support, and facility expansion on Maui.

A proud graduate of Castle High School in Kaneohe, Jill received her undergraduate degree in International Relations and a minor in Japanese Studies from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Married to Kyle Michibata, Jill and her husband have two sons, Matt, 13, and Aden, 12, who now attend the same public schools where their mom was a student — King Intermediate and Kaneohe Elementary.

Photo: Jill and Kyle with sons Aden (left) and Matt (right).

Jill will be an effective advocate for educators, public schools.

Jill believes that funding quality public education for students of all ages is one of the most valuable investments for the future of Hawaii.

She will prioritize supporting universal access to free public education, from early childhood and preschool, community college, four-year universities, and programs for post-secondary workforce training and certifications.

Jill knows that investing in education early on improves student achievement throughout their educational careers, provides a more level playing field for all students, improves earned incomes, and has long-term societal benefits for all citizens.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is proud to recommend Jill for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District. Please encourage your friends and family to join all of us in supporting her campaign.

Support Jill Tokuda’s congressional campaign

During the weeks ahead, we will ask our members to show their support for Jill by volunteering at various campaign events, such as sign waving. If you want to get more involved with Jill’s grassroots campaign, you can sign up here.