Hawaii State Representative K. Mark Takai hails from the 33rd House District representing the communities of Aiea, on the shores of historic Pearl Harbor. He was first elected in 1994 and has successfully won re-election nine more times (1994 through 2012).
Mark is the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans, Military, and International Affairs, and Culture and the Arts, and a member of Committee on Education and Committee on Higher Education. He served as Vice Speaker of the House during the 2005 and 2006 sessions. Mark served as Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education (2003 to 2004 sessions) and as Vice Chairman (1995 to 2002 sessions). He served as Chairman of the House Committee on Culture and Arts for four years (1997 to 2000 sessions).
Mark was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) on July 19, 1999 and worked as the Preventive Medical Officer. Currently, he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the HIARNG and is the Division Chief for Soldiers Services and a School Liaison for the HIARNG. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Base Operations Officer (Camp Mayor) at Camp Patriot, Kuwait from February 2009 to September 2009. He served as the Company Commander of Charlie Company (Medical), 29th Brigade Support Battalion from November 2006 to May 2008. Mark was also called to active duty for six months (May to November 2005) and served as the Hawaii Army National Guard Deputy State Surgeon.
Mark has worked to develop successful partnerships between military-connected organizations and non-military entities with focus on the education of military children in Hawaii and throughout the world. From 2003-2009, he coordinated a six-year effort that netted an additional $40 million in Federal Impact Aid for the Hawaii Department of Education.
Mark currently serves as President of the National Guard Association-Hawaii Insurance Inc. and President (since 1997) of Waiau Community Association G-1. He was the President of the Hawaii National Guard Association (2012-2013) and the President of the University of Hawaii Letterwinners Club (2012-2013). Mark also serves as the coordinator (since 2004) of the Hawaii State Legislature's Military Appreciation Package and as a Board Member (since 2004) of Hawaii's Joint Venture Education Forum, a partnership between Hawaii's military component commands and the Hawaii Department of Education. He serves as the National Chairman (since 2006) of the National Network of Legislators in the Military, State Coordinator (since 2006) of the USA for Military Families, Chairman (since 2005) of the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Task Force, and Coordinator (since 2006) for the Hawaii Medal of Honor, an award on behalf of the people of the State of Hawaii to an individual who was killed in action while serving our country as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Mark received his diploma from Pearl City High School in 1985. He is four-time High School Swimming Champion and a High School All-American Swimmer. Mark received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While at the University, Mark was a WAC Champion swimmer, the President of the Student Senate, and the Editor-in-Chief of the campus newspaper. After graduating, he worked at the State Department of Health as a public health educator.
Among his numerous awards and decorations, Mark received the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States Army in 2009, the Distinguished Service Medal from the National Guard Association of the United States in 2011, and the Hawaii Distinguished Service Order in 2012.
Mark and his wife Sami are parents of Matthew and Kaila. Both children attend public schools in Aiea. Sami and Mark are owners of Pacific First Enterprises, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm.