Kim Coco Iwamoto

1. KIM COCO IWAMOTO, ESQ.


PUBLIC EDUCATION POLICY-SETTING, MONITORING & ACCOUNTABILITY

Hawai‘i State Board of Education (BOE), Elected Member Dec 2006 – Present
o As the single school board for the entire statewide system, the BOE sets education
policies and monitors compliance for the 288 public schools (including charter schools),
serving 178,649 students, across six islands.
o Adopts student performance standards and the means to assess them
o Accountable for the management of $2.1 Billion budget.
o Serve as active member on the following BOE Standing Committees: Administrative
Services; Budget & Fiscal Accountability; Curriculum, Instruction & Student Support;
External Affairs; and Legislation, Public Charter Schools & Public Libraries

Career & Technical Education Coordinating Advisory Council Feb 2007 - Present
Chair - Council created by statute to advise the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents
on innovation, compliance and reporting related to Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Improvement Act of 2006.

Hawai‘i Teachers Standards Board, Appointed Member Aug 2009 - Present
Board created by statute to set rigorous teacher licensing and renewal standards for
Hawai`i’s 11,270 classroom teachers, providing every child with qualified teachers,
promoting professionalism and excellence, and improving accountability to the public.

Safe School Community Advisory Committee 2004 - Present
Created by the Hawai`i Department of Education to recommend prevention strategies and
interventions to make schools safer by deterring and eliminating bullying, harassment and
discrimination in schools by 2010.

Hawai‘i 3-5 Transition Task Force, Appointed Member Aug 2007- May 2008
Task Force created by Act 289 (2007) studied the feasibility of expanding eligibility,
pursuant to Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, for services from
the Hawai`i Department of Health’s Early Intervention Section to children between 3 and
5 years old who have developmental disabilities.

LEGAL EXPERIENCE


Volunteer Legal Services Hawai`i - MANAGING ATTORNEY Nov 2001 – Jan 2004
Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i - VOLUNTEER ATTORNEY July 2001 – Oct 2001
University of New Mexico School of Law
- LEGAL ADVOCACY TEACHING ASSISTANT Spring 2000
- SOUTHWEST INDIAN LAW CLINIC INTERN Spring 2000
San Francisco Human Rights Commission – LEGAL EXTERN Summer 1999
New Mexico Supreme Court – LAW CLERK EXTERN Summer 1998
Hawai`i Intermediate Court of Appeals
- LEGAL RESEARCH AIDE Nov 1996 – Apr 1997

2. YOUTH ADVOCACY & SUPPORT

Certified Therapeutic Foster Parent (Child & Family Services Hawai`i)

Certified Foster Parent (Hawai`i Department of Human Services)

Project Visitation Volunteer – (reunited siblings living in separate foster homes)

Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem (Family Court of the First Circuit of Hawai`i)

Leadership Development Coordinator – Youth Enrichment Services, NY


PUBLIC INTEREST & PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

Affordable Quality Apartment Rentals (AQUA Rentals, LLC) 2004 - Present
Owner/Manager - small apartment complex in urban Honolulu designed and
maintained to ensure that 50% of the units are affordable to lower-income residents
without Section 8 subsidies.

Enlightened Energy, LLC 2006 - Present
Owner/Designer – transforming urban residence into model self-sufficient dwelling
and energy portal for immediate community: installing water catchment system,
edible landscaping, passive cooling, solar water heating, and sufficient photovoltaic
panels to power home and re-charge 28 electric cars weekly.

Hawai`i People’s Fund 2005 - 2009
Board of Directors and Grant-Making Committee - provided grants to progressive
grassroots social change organizations working in Hawai`i through a unique
partnership of donors, activist and grantees committed to positive social change and
a more equitable distribution of wealth, resources and power.

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

United States District Court for the District of Hawai`i admitted June 1, 2001

Hawai`i State Bar admitted June 1, 2001

University of New Mexico School of Law - Juris Doctor 2000
o Recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Randel Award for Initiative and Innovation
Toward Race and Gender Justice
o Recipient of the Honors in Clinical Law Award (Southwest Indian Law Clinic)

San Francisco State University - Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing 1990

Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
- Associates of Applied Sciences in Merchandising 1988