Amy Perruso

Amy Perruso
Amy Perruso Hawaii
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 46th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 6, 2018
Preceded byLei Learmont
Personal details
Born (1968-11-05) November 5, 1968 (age 56)
Fallbrook, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Mililani, Hawaii, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California (BA)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (PhD)
OccupationPolitician • teacher
WebsiteBio

Amy A. Perruso (born November 5, 1968) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives for the 46th district. She represents the 46th House District as a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Perruso was born and raised in Fallbrook, California. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Southern California in 1990 and studied at the University of Helsinki as a Fulbright Scholar. She took courses toward a doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles and earned her teaching credential from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She earned a PhD in political science and government from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.[1]

Career

As a result of the education workers' strike, Perruso was one of several teachers to seek election to the Hawaii State Legislature. Perruso, a former secretary-treasurer of the Hawaii State Teachers Association who taught social studies at Mililani High School, defeated the incumbent Democratic representative Lei Learmont in the primaries. Perruso then went on to collect twice as many votes as her Republican opponent, John E. Miller, in the race for the 46th District.[2]

In March 2020, Perruso joined Tina Wildberger and Russell Ruderman in donating $4,000 from their raises as state legislators to help pay for school lunches in their district.[3] In 2021, she became an inaugural member of the newly-formed Progressive Legislative Caucus of the House of Representatives, a coalition of 18 left-wing members of the body.[4]

In 2018 her candidacy was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.[5] In March 2019, she and other DSA elected officials congratulated striking teachers across the United States.[6]

Personal life

She is married to John Mackey and has two children.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Legislative Members". www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  2. ^ Essoyan, Susan (November 6, 2018). "Teachers Amy Perruso, Val Okimoto head from classroom to the state House". Star Advertiser. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Morais Webster, Dawn (March 3, 2020). "Democrats Must See, Speak And Act In Interests Of The Poor". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  4. ^ January 26, Denby Fawcett ·; Read, 2021 · 7 Min (2021-01-25). "Chad Blair: New Progressive Caucus Hopes To Be A Force At The Legislature". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved 2021-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "NPC Statement on 2018 Elections". DSA. November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "DSA Elected Officials Support Teacher Power and Working People Everywhere".
  7. ^ "Amy Perruso". Vote Smart.