ABOUT

Jenna grew up with her parents and sister in Pauoa Valley. With her father running a small printing business and her mother also working full-time, the family relied on the help of relatives for childcare so Puunui also became a second home for Jenna.

​

A proud product of the Hawaii public school system, Jenna attended Pauoa Elementary School, Kawananakoa Middle School, and Roosevelt High School. Jenna majored in English at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where she spent two and a half years leading student lab classes with the Ethnic Studies department. Later she would pursue her interest in education and research by attaining a Master of Management in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. 

 

Jenna’s career led her through public relations and administrative support in the telecommunications and service industries before finding her passion in public service. In 2012, she became office manager for Representative Takashi Ohno and it led her back to serving the community she had been raised in. For nearly a decade, Jenna has worked alongside Rep. Ohno to improve public infrastructure, support schools and nonprofit organizations, and address community issues in District 27. This time has given her deep understanding about the priorities of neighbors and how to best collaborate with federal, state, and county agencies to make meaningful changes in addressing issues large and small.

 

In her free time, Jenna volunteers with the Democratic Party of Hawaii Oahu County Committee where she currently serves as the Assistant Secretary and member of the Legislation Committee. As Assistant Secretary, she focuses on organizing communications efforts for Oahu County events and member outreach with projects like a monthly newsletter, which was launched under her term.

 

Jenna is excited to make  journey to becoming the next state representative of District 27 with the support of her family, including grandmother, Lita; mother, Colleen; sister and brother-in-law Dani and Mark and nieces Ava and Aria.