Press Releases

(Honolulu, HI) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01) has appointed longtime Hawai‘i federal, state and non-profit executive Kekoa Kaluhiwa as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Hawai‘i District Director working out of Case’s Honolulu district office.

“In his twenty years of service across our federal, state and non-profit sectors and more, Kekoa has excelled at policy advocacy, community engagement and government relations,” said Case. “He is especially skilled at moving easily among diverse communities, leading teams, building partnerships, and navigating complex cultural, political and environmental issues.” 

“Especially important are his over ten years of Congressional experience with United States Senator Daniel Akaka. Representing Hawai‘i in Congress requires knowing and working smoothly and interchangeably in two very different worlds, and Kekoa especially brings this ability to my Congressional work.”

Kaluhiwa joins Case from eight years with Kamehameha Schools, most recently as Director of  ʻĀina Stakeholder Engagement, responsible for advancing the institution’s relationships with the community, government, and business sectors. He also directed Kamehameha’s statewide land operations. 

Kaluhiwa earlier served as First Deputy Director for the Hawai‘i State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR) during the tenure of Case’s sister, Suzanne Case, as Director. His responsibilities included assisting in management of DLNR’s ten divisions, 900 employees and 1.2 million acres of public trust resources.

Kaluhiwa is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama and the University of Washington (B.A., Political Science). He also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa.

Kaluhiwa succeeds Jacqueline (Jackie) Conant, who retired after twenty-five years of federal service. Conant worked for Case the entirety of his service in Congress, from 2002 to 2007 and from 2019 to her retirement. She began in Congress with U.S. Representative Patsy Mink and also served with then-U.S. Representative Mazie Hirono.

“Jackie exemplified the work of Congressional staff everywhere; they contribute immeasurably without widespread recognition to the critical work of Members of Congress on forging national policy, assisting our states and helping our constituents,” said Case. “Jackie also exemplified the unique role of a District Director to keep the critical district office functioning smoothly and to provide the face and voice of the office during the majority of the year when we are not home. While I miss her, I’m happy for her next chapters, and know that Kekoa will provide the same level of service to my office and our community with his own twist.”

Tim Nelson continues as Case’s Chief of Staff, based in Case’s Capitol Hill office. Like Conant, Nelson has served with Case throughout the entirety of Case’s service in Congress, including as Chief of Staff since 2019. Nelson has a particular expertise in defense, especially Hawai‘i and the Indo-Pacific, and in addition to managing Case’s overall office assists him in his responsibilities as a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense with oversight and funding jurisdiction over our defense and intelligence budgets. 

Attachment: Picture of Kekoa Kaluhiwa

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