Born and raised on O‘ahu, Representative Tina Nakada Grandinetti is driven by a deep love for the lands, waters, and people of Hawaiʻi. Her commitment to building a better future for the islands and its people have led her to pursue a career focused on crafting housing and land policy that keeps local communities together and protects and preserves our environment. In her doctoral research she focused on Hawaiʻi's housing crisis and spent months interviewing and learning from working families and people experiencing homelessness on Oʻahu. As a community leader, she was also active in the island-wide fight to protect Oʻahu’s aquifer in the aftermath of the Red Hill fuel leaks. She also serves as Vice President of Hawaiʻi Peace and Justice. Most recently, she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow and housing policy analyst at a national research and action institute dedicated to advancing economic equity. She has also served as the chief of staff for Representative Amy Perruso, where she worked to ensure that community voices were heard at the State Legislature. Her passion for empowering young people to engage in the decisions that affect their future led her to teach undergraduate and early-college political science classes at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and Roosevelt High School.
