Aloha! My name is Maile Shimabukuro, and I currently serve as State Senator for District 21, which encompasses Kalaeloa to Kaena Point on Oahu's leeward side.
I was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 2003, representing Waianae, Makaha, and Makua. In 2010, I had the fortune of being appointed to replace then Senate President Colleen Hanabusa when she was elected to Congress. I have served in the State Senate ever since.
I have served as Chair of the Hawaiian Affairs Committee since 2013. I am also a member of the Ways and Means, and Transportation Committees.
In addition to serving as a legislator, I am an attorney at a non-profit legal services office, and I represent clients in primarily family and public benefit cases. I am a proud graduate of Maili Bible, Wai‘anae Elementary, Our Lady of Sorrows, ‘Iolani, Colorado College, and the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law.
I am half Okinawan and half Chinese, and I grew up on the Wai‘anae Coast. I have a young son, Keani, and six stepchildren - Amber, Kekai, Christopher, Emma, Jaedyn, and Tyce.
I am the proud daughter of Karen Young, formerly a nurse practitioner at Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (or "WCCHC"), and James Shimabukuro, a professor at Kapi‘olani Community College. My sister, Summer Shimabukuro, is an Assistant Professor at Leeward Community College – Wai‘anae Moku; my half-sister, Elizabeth Shimabukuro, is an HR Specialist at Target; and my half-brother, Bobby Shimabukuro, is a mental health worker at Trillium Family Services. My stepfather, Dr. Fred Dodge, formerly served as medical director and a family physician at WCCHC.
My interests include surfing, the outdoors, politics, and travel.