About Brian Schatz

Brian Schatz is known as a tough, smart, and compassionate executive leader, focused on public education, economic development, and sustainability for our islands. Brian has devoted his life to public service, as an elected leader, head of one of Hawaii’s major social-service non-profits and Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

Underneath all this – what makes Brian tick – is his family and his life experience in Hawaii. These essentials have taught him the principles of fairness for all, the value of hard work, and love for our children. He is a devoted husband, a father of a daughter and son and part of a diverse and wonderful family that reflects what is special about Hawaii.

Leading the Obama Campaign

In 2006, Brian put his values into action by starting the Hawaii Draft Obama campaign, running that campaign to its exciting conclusion, with the election of the first Hawaii-born President of the United States.

“When we started the campaign to draft Barack Obama, I saw that we could energize people across Hawaii to step forward and once again make politics mean something positive and important for people,” Brian says.

A Four Term Legislator

Brian was born October 20, 1972 in Michigan and came to Hawaii as a two-year-old with his family. He grew up here, and after college on the mainland came back to Hawaii to run a nonprofit organization focused on getting young people involved in community service. Soon after, he entered public life, winning a seat in the State Legislature to represent the 25th district which includes Makiki, McCully and Tantalus in 1998.

Brian’s hard work won respect and he was appointed to Majority Whip and chair of the Economic Development Committee. He counts as his greatest legislative accomplishment the 2004 legislative session’s tripling of the Department of Education’s school maintenance and repair budget and his support for Act 221, the high technology tax incentive which has created thousands of high-paying jobs.

In 2006, after four terms as a State Representative, Brian ran in the primary to represent Hawaii’s 2nd district in the U.S. Congress. As Midweek columnist Dan Boylan noted, “Of the half-dozen announced or rumored Democratic candidates for Hawaii’s 2nd District Congressional seat, only state Rep. Brian Schatz risks anything….Schatz will be out of office for the first time since he upset freshman Republican Sam Aiona in 1998. For Schatz, there’s no looking back.”

Managing the Helping Hands Comeback

Brian did not win, but he did not turn his back on public service or Hawaii. He redoubled his commitment to his work at Helping Hands Hawaii where he has been CEO since 2002.

When Brian became CEO, the 35-year-old community service group was in rocky financial shape. In fact, like many nonprofits, it was not clear whether bankruptcy could be avoided. But with the help of a dedicated staff and a determined, collaborative leadership style, Helping Hands emerged from this difficult period stronger than ever.

Today Helping Hands Hawaii is an Aloha United Way partner with a $6 million dollar budget and 110 employees. Its services include: The Bilingual Access Line providing translations in 16 languages; Community Clearing House accepting donations to give families in need the basic necessities of life; Ready to Learn, the community service project co-chaired by US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, distributing school supplies for children who don’t have them; and the Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program.

Democratic Party Victories

Brian was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii in May 2008. Within the last two years, in part due to the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama presidential campaigns, the number of active party members grew from 21,000 to 49,000. In the 2008 general election. Brian oversaw the most successful coordinated campaign in the history of Hawaii.

About the experience, Brian says, “There is always a tug and pull to the role of a political party and even its relevance in today’s world. But I think our local Democrats rediscovered themselves in the 2008 presidential campaign and realized we have a renewed role in standing up for working people, Hawaii families – especially school kids — and those in need.”

Brian’s Family Roots

Where does Brian get his sense of social justice and empathy? It starts at home.

Brian’s dad, Dr. Irwin Schatz, has taught at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine for over two decades and chaired the Department of Medicine. In 2009. Dr. Schatz was honored with Distinguished Alumni Award from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He was recognized as a “medical hero” for his courage as a young doctor in standing up against the now infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which black men were left untreated in the name of “medical research.”

Says Brian, “My father told me to define success by the amount of good you accomplish, and he was walking the talk from a young age. He’s the best example of professional ethics that anyone could ever have.”

“All around me are hard-working, compassionate people. My mother who raised us with strength and love; my twin brother Steve who was Pohakea Elementary School principal in Ewa and is now Honolulu District Superintendent.

“I married into a family which is so much a part of the Hawaii dream – the Kwok’s who ran Kwok’s Chop Suey on Waialae Avenue for many years and are so proud of their daughter Linda, my wife, who recently earned her architecture degree. To me, both parts of my family are very special; they are also very Hawaii.”

Brian and Linda have been married for eight years and have two children, Tyler and Mia. Brian graduated from Punahou and has a B.A. in philosophy from Pomona College in California. He spent a term in Kenya with the School for International Training, where his commitment and skills as a public servant were honed.

Hawaii’s Future

Brian enters the 2010 campaign with a strong record of achievement in the public and private sectors — achievement focused on problem solving and service to Hawaii.

“These are really difficult times,” says Brian. “We face challenges in keeping and creating jobs, managing state services with diminished resources, keeping and building upon our basic values as a people and a state as we work to bring about a brighter future. Not easy, but it is times like these that make me want to do my part as a leader. I know we can do better.”

With a strong record of achievement in the public and private sectors – achievement focused on problem-solving and service, Brian’s brand of intelligence and leadership offers a bright beacon of hope for Hawaii’s future. Brian says “These are really difficult times for so many. Today, more than ever, we can all see that who we put in charge of our state government really does matter. I know we can do better. It is times like these that make me want to do my part, working with our new Governor to rebuild and improve the way our State government serves its people, especially the children.”