Meet Ashley

I believe in supporting not just my students but my colleagues in this profession, so I’ve been very active in the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the strongest labor union in the state. I currently serve more than 1,300 teachers as the HSTA Maui Chapter President and I have had the opportunity to cultivate a deep understanding of education and social justice policy development because of my work with HSTA and the National Education Association. It is that work which helped, in part, to guide my efforts when I served our community on the most recent Maui County Charter Commission.

For much of my career, I worked many second jobs just to make ends meet, from retail to ushering, to food service. Sometimes I managed to keep educating at the same time. When I was a Starbucks barista, students were able to come in for a beverage and get help with their homework. Guests were often surprised that a teacher needed a second job.

After fighting my way up the pay scale, I am grateful for the fact that I now only have one employer. This is only due to the work of many teachers and myself who advocated for years at the bargaining and in the legislature for better wages for Hawaii’s teachers. I am just as grateful that, thanks to affordable, workforce housing initiatives, I can call myself a homeowner but it is painful to watch former students be priced out of the place where they grew up and see so many good people be forced to leave.

I’ve considered running for office before but the last couple of years have created a sense of urgency, and I am ready to serve my community in a new way. If I am elected, I can help create and pass policies that will address the needs of our community, like affordable housing, living wages, equitable water distribution, infrastructure improvements, and self-sustainability. I hope that you will give me your vote, and join with me to find solutions to the challenges we are facing.