Born and raised on Oahu, Tina is driven by a deep love for the lands, waters, and people of Hawaiʻi. Her commitment to building a better future for Hawaiʻi has led her to work as a housing policy researcher, a legislative staffer, and most importantly, as a community leader. She believes in politics that put people before profit, and care for ʻāina as the heart and soul of our island community. 

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Tina currently works as a postdoctoral research fellow and housing policy analyst at a national research and action institute dedicated to advancing economic equity. She is passionate about crafting housing and land policy that keeps local communities together and protects and preserves our environment. Previously, she worked for three years as the chief of staff for Representative Amy Perruso, where she worked to ensure that community voices were heard at the State Legislature. She also worked closely with advocates to draft a variety of measures to diversify local agriculture, discourage housing speculation, implement tax fairness, and support working families.

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A proud product of Hawaiʻiʻs public schools, Tina graduated from Mililani High School and earned her Bachelorʻs and Master’s Degrees in Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She earned her Ph.D. from RMIT University’s Center for Urban Research in Australia. Her doctoral research focused on Hawaiʻi's housing crisis, and she spent months interviewing and learning from working families and people experiencing homelessness on Oʻahu. Her experience quickly taught her that solutions to Hawaiʻi's most pressing issues will come when we listen to, empower, and honor the expertise of the people who are most impacted.

  

Tina has served her community as a member of the Oʻahu Water Protectors and was active in the island-wide fight to protect Oʻahu’s aquifer in the aftermath of the Red Hill fuel leaks. She serves as Vice President of Hawaiʻi Peace and Justice. She is a dues paying member of the Honolulu Tenants Union and Hui Aloha 'Āina o Honolulu. Her passion for empowering young people to engage in the decisions that affect their future led her to teach undergraduate and early-college political science classes at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and Roosevelt High School.

 

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