REPRESENTATIVE AMY PERRUSO

Representative Amy Perruso, veteran DOE social studies teacher, was the first woman elected to represent Hawai'i State House District 46 in 2018. While her education took her around the world, from California to Shanghai to Finland and finally UH Mānoa, where she completed her doctorate in political science, she began her teaching career at Leilehua High School and taught APUSH, APGOV and a new course, Pre-AP Participation in Democracy and Modern History of Hawai'i as a National Board Certified teacher in DOE schools for almost twenty years. 

 

Representative Perruso served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association (2015-1018). She was also a member of Gov. David Ige's Every Student Succeeds Act Team, which crafted a blueprint for the future of Hawai'i's public schools (2016-2018). As an elected representative, she has served as the Vice Chair of the Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE; 2019- present), the Vice Chair of the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators (2021-2023), Commissioner of Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE; 2023-present)), member of the Access Hawai'i Committee, and national finalist for the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Board (2024).

 

Representative Perruso has been a Fulbright Scholar and finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year Award. When she's not working with her community, Representative Perruso enjoys surfing, yoga, supporting ecosystem restoration projects, and spending time with her family. She is still very active in civic education activities, serving as the Executive Director of Civic Education Council, which runs Kids Voting Hawai'i. She is also a member of the Wahiawā Lions Club, the Central O'uhu Soroptimists, the Wahiawā-Waialua Rotary Club, the Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawā, and the Wahiawā Agricultural Association.