Nadine Nakamura
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Nadine Nakamura | |
|---|---|
| 11th Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office November 6, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Saiki |
| Majority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives | |
| In office November 8, 2022 – November 6, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Della Au Belatti |
| Succeeded by | Sean Quinlan |
| Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 15th district 14th (2016–2022) | |
| Assumed office November 8, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Derek Kawakami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1, 1961 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Southern California (BS) University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (MURP) |
Nadine Kuniko Nakamura (née Maeda, born December 1, 1961) is an American politician serving as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from District 15, encompassing east and north Kauaʻi, from Wailua to Haena. She won the seat after incumbent Democrat Derek Kawakami decided to run for a seat in the Kauaʻi County Council.[1] Nakamura won re-election in 2020 against Republican candidate Steve Monas, 76.2% to 23.8%.[2] She won re-election in 2022 against Republican candidate Greg Bentley, 67.9% to 24%.[3] In 2024, she became Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to hold the role.[4]
Nakamura was born in Honolulu, the youngest of four children of Hiroyoshi and Mabel Maeda. In 1979, Nakamura graduated from Radford High School in Honolulu. Nakamura then attended the University of Southern California (USC) where she obtained a Bachelor of Science, Public Affairs and Urban Planning in 1983.
While at USC, Nakamura spent a semester in Washington, D.C. where she worked as an intern at Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp. (now NeighborWorks America) which promotes reinvestment in communities by local financial institutions working cooperatively with residents and local government. She earned a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1987.
Nakamura successfully ran for the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board 18 in 1984.