Hon. Ashley Kierkiewicz

Ashley Lehualani Kierkiewicz was elected to the Hawai'i County Council in 2018, and is serving her third term. Ashley is born, raised, and educated on Hawai‘i Island and applies her community-driven and small business experience to catalyze projects, policies, and programs that uplift the island and its people. She has secured funding for a statewide green jobs program, a County housing production program, formalized an islandwide network of 40+ resilience hubs, led development of a CEDS, and provides leadership for Puna’s eruption recovery.

Ashley has nearly a decade of experience in communication and outreach, helping a range of clients statewide in government, private business, and the nonprofit sector craft messages and campaigns that resonate. In 2014, Pacific Business News recognized her as a Woman to Watch in business.

A firm believer in giving back to community, Ashley served on the board member of Vibrant Hawai‘i and is a former president of the Zonta International Club of Hilo, whose mission is to empower women through service and advocacy. She also served on the board of the YWCA of Hawai‘i Island and the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board. Ashley is a member of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawai‘i and Mainstreet Pāhoa Association. In 2014, she was selected to serve as vice-chair of Hawai‘i County’s Cost of Government Commission.

Ashley earned her Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Hawai‘i-Hilo. She is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and was chosen as the Outstanding Graduating Political Science Senior in 2011. While in college, she interned with the County Department of Environmental Management and with United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka in Washington D.C.