Ann Johnson

**Ann Marie Johnson** (born 3 October 1970) is a Hawaiian politician and anthropologist who has served as minister of the environment in the second Kanazawa ministry since 2021. She has been a member of the Green-Progressive Party since its formation, and previously served as chairperson of the Green Party from 2012 until its dissolution in 2021. Johnson represents Oahu in the House of Representatives, having first been elected in 2006.

Johnson was born and raised in Hilo, and graduated from Hilo High School in 1988. After graduating from high school, she moved to Oahu to enroll in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, receiving a degree in environmental studies in 1992. Afterwards, she received a master's degree from the same school in cultural anthropology in 1994, and later completed a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology at the same institution in 2002. After completing her education, Johnson first taught environmental studies and anthropology at East Honolulu Community College, before being hired as a professor of environmental studies at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in 2005. Johnson has published two anthropological books regarding various cultural groups' disposition to environmentalism: *The Earth and What We Make of It* (2003) and *A Temple Built for Two* (2005). Johnson left her career in academia in 2006, in order to enter politics.

Johnson joined the Green Party after turning 18 in 1988, and had participated in local student-led environmentalist demonstrations. She became active in the Oahu Green Party chapter as a university student, and was later elected as a trustee of the Oahu chapter's youth branch in 1990, before being elected president in 1992. Johnson later entered national elected politics, and was selected as a Green Party candidate in Oahu for the elections in 1998 and 2002, but was not elected either time. She stood again in the 2006 election, and was elected to parliament. After taking her seat in parliament, Johnson focused her legislating on environmental issues, and additionally embarked on speaking tours at Hawaiian schools to talk to students about environmentalism.

In 2012, Marjorie Kelley announced she would be retiring from politics after the 2014 election, and resigned from her position as party chairperson. Johnson was endorsed by Kelley as her successor, and quickly garnered the support of parliament's Green Party membership. She was later elected as chairperson in a party conference, and took office on 20 May, becoming the third consecutive woman to lead the party. In 2021, Johnson agreed to a merger with Hui Pū ʻAna, disbanding the Green Party and establishing the Green-Progressive Party. The party maintained the Green Party's platform of green politics while also focusing on social liberalism and progressivism. She later stood as a Green-Progressive candidate in the 2021 snap election, where the party became the second-largest in parliament. Afterwards, a grand coalition between the Green-Progressive Party and Hawaii National Party was negotiated, and Johnson was nominated to serve as environment minister in the second Kanazawa ministry.

## Early life and education

Johnson was born on 3 October 1970 in Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, to parents David (born 1938) and Catherine Johnson (née *Byrd*; born 1941). Both of her parents were academics, with her father being a volcanologist and her mother a botanist. They met as doctoral students at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, and after completing their doctorates, both became professors at the university. Johnson is of Californian descent on both sides of her family, with her father having been born and raised in Sacramento, moving to Hawaii at age 22. She is additionally of English, Scottish, and Welsh descent, and was raised as an only child.

Johnson began her education in 1975, attending public schooling in Hilo. While in school, Johnson exhibited an interest in environmentalism and science, influenced by her parents' careers. She began high school at Hilo High School in 1984, where she was a gifted student. She graduated as her school's valedictorian in 1988, and afterwards moved to Oahu to enroll in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, studying environmental studies. Johnson graduated with her degree in 1992, and afterwards returned to the school to study a graduate program in cultural anthropology, receiving her degree in 1994. Subsequently, Johnson began a doctoral program in cultural anthropology, and received her degree in 2002. Her doctoral research centered around the relationship between the Earth and environmentalism in various cultures throughout the world, and she traveled to all six of the inhabited continents to conduct her research.

## Academic career

Johnson began her career in academia as a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, working as a teaching assistant and grader for various professors. During her time as a teaching assistant, Johnson assisted with courses on cultural anthropology and environmental anthropology. After graduating with her doctorate in 2002, Johnson published her doctoral research as a book, titled *The Earth and What We Make of It*, which is often taught in environmental anthropology undergraduate university courses throughout the world.

In 2003, Johnson was hired as a professor of anthropology at East Honolulu Community College. At the school, she taught courses on environmental anthropology. While teaching, Johnson also conducted research in China on relationships between environmentalism and the ancient Chinese empires. She later published the book *A Temple Built for Two* on her research in 2005. That year, Johnson was hired as a professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in the university's anthropology department. She taught courses on cultural and environmental anthropology until 2006, when she left her career in academia in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Early politics

Johnson first became associated with politics in 1988, aged 17, when she became participating in student-led protests and demonstrations in Hilo and Honolulu in favor of environmentalism and taking action on climate change. After turning 18, she joined the Green Party. She continued her participation in demonstrations, and after moving to Oahu, became active with the Oahu Green Party chapter. In 1990, Johnson was elected as a trustee of the youth branch of the Oahu Green Party. After serving two terms as trustee, she was elected president of the youth branch in 1992. As president, Johnson advocated for increasing pressure on the national party to strengthen their pushes for environmental justice and activism. After serving two terms as president, Johnson retired from youth politics in 1996.

Johnson first became involved in elected national politics in 1998, when she was included on the Green Party electoral list in Oahu for the 1998 general election. She was ultimately not elected to parliament, but was selected for the list again in the 2002 election, but was not elected again. Johnson stood for election once more during the 2006 election, and was elected to the House of Representatives. After taking her seat in parliament, Johnson began to focus her legislating on environmental regulating and environmental justice. She was later reelected to parliament in the 2010 election.

### Green Party chairperson

In April 2012, Marjorie Kelley confirmed that she would be retiring from politics after the 2014 general election, and would be resigning as party chairperson. After making her announcement, Kelley endorsed Johnson as her successor, and Johnson subsequently received the endorsements of all other Green Party parliamentarians as well. She was later elected as party chairperson unopposed in a party conference, and took office on 20 May 2012, becoming the third consecutive woman to lead the party.

As party chairperson, Johnson first led the party into the 2014 election, where they lost a number of seats, largely due to the creation of Hui Pū ʻAna, which bought into their target demographic. Johnson maintained her position as party chairperson, and began advocating for the party to take more drastic approaches to environmentalism and environmental justice to further distance itself from center-left competitor Hui Pū ʻAna. She led the party into the 2018 general election, where they increased their seat share, and were nearly included in a government coalition with the Workers Party and Ko Makou Hawaiʻi until the negotiations collapsed.

### Environment minister

In February 2021, Johnson agreed to a merger with Hui Pū ʻAna, disbanding the Green Party and establishing the Green-Progressive Party. The party maintained the Green Party's platform of green politics while also focusing on social liberalism and progressivism. Johnson subsequently stood as a Green-Progressive candidate in the 2021 snap election, where the party became the second-largest in parliament.

After the party's electoral success, a grand coalition between the Green-Progressive Party and Hawaii National Party was negotiated, and Johnson was nominated to serve as environment minister in the second Kanazawa ministry. As environment minister, Johnson is responsible for overseeing environmental policy, natural environment protections, and wildlife conservation.

## Personal life

Johnson began a relationship with Hawaiian physicist Randall Peterson in 2001, while both were doctoral students at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. They later became engaged in 2003, and married the following year. Johnson and Peterson have two sons together: Ezekiel (born 2005) and Zane (born 2008). The family resides in Kapolei, Oahu. Johnson has identified herself as an atheist.