Tamara Aso Gomez

**Tamara Katherine Aso Gomez** (née **Aso**; born 12 September 1971) is a Hawaiian politician who has served as minister of education and culture in the second Kanazawa ministry since 2021. She has additionally served as a member of the House of Representatives for Oahu since 2014. She is a member of the Hawaii National Party.

Aso Gomez was born in Hilo, and later moved to Los Angeles at age five. She spent her childhood in Los Angeles, and later graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1989. After graduating, Aso Gomez returned to Hawaii to enroll in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, graduating with a degree in elementary education in 1993. She subsequently returned to the school and received her master's degree in elementary education in 1995, receiving teaching credentials to teach elementary school within Hawaii. Aso Gomez began her career as a substitute elementary school teacher in the Honolulu Public Schools system, and later was hired as an elementary school teacher at Punahou School in 1997. In 2002, she left the school and became an elementary school teacher within Honolulu Public Schools. She left her teaching career in order to enter politics in 2014.

Aso Gomez began her career in politics in 2014, after being elected to parliament in the 2014 general election. After her election, she began affiliating herself with the moderate faction of the party, and focused her legislating on public education and issues affecting women, children, and families. Following the 2021 general election, Aso Gomez was nominated by Kenzie Kanazawa to serve as minister of education and culture in her second ministry.

## Early life and education

Aso Gomez was born on 12 September 1971 in Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, to parents Jerry (born 1942) and Barbara Aso (née *Adachi*; born 1944). Her father is Japanese-Hawaiian and worked as a corporate executive, while her mother is Japanese-Californian from Los Angeles and worked in real estate. Her parents met in 1965, while her father was living in California, and together moved to Hawaii in 1969. Aso Gomez is the elder of two daughters; her younger sister is Susan "Suzi" (born 1974).

In 1977, when Aso Gomez was five years old, the family moved from Hawaii to Los Angeles, as her mother wanted the family to be closer to Aso Gomez's maternal grandmother, who had been diagnosed with dementia. After arriving in California, the family settled in the city of Beverly Hills, just outside of Los Angeles. Aso Gomez attended public schooling in Beverly Hills, and began high school at Beverly Hills High School in 1985. While a high schooler, Aso Gomez was involved in the school's theatre program and also modeled semi-professionally as a teen model. She later graduated from high school in 1989. After graduating, Aso Gomez returned to Hawaii and enrolled in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, studying elementary education. She received her bachelor's degree in 1993, and later received a master's degree in elementary education in 1995.

## Teaching career

After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1993, Aso Gomez began working as a substitute elementary school teacher in the Honolulu Public School system while also pursuing her master's degree. After completing graduate school in 1995, she received her teaching certification for elementary education, and continued working as a substitute teacher.

In 1997, Aso Gomez was hired as an elementary school teacher at Punahou School. While a teacher at the school, she taught second graders and also supervised the elementary school's dramatic arts after-school program. In 2002, Aso Gomez left the school after being hired as an elementary school teacher in the Honolulu Public Schools system. Between 2002 and 2005, Aso Gomez taught fifth graders, before beginning to teach first graders the following year. In 2011, Aso Gomez was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award at her school. She later left her teaching career in 2014, in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Early politics

Aso Gomez began her political career in 2014, after she was included on the Hawaii National Party electoral list in Oahu during the 2014 general election. Aso Gomez was ultimately elected to parliament, and took her seat in the House of Representatives on 14 July 2014. Upon taking her seat, she began affiliating herself with the moderate faction of the party, and focused her legislating on public education and issues affecting women, children, and families.

Following the resignation of David Chang after the 2018 general election, Aso Gomez endorsed Kenzie Kanazawa in the 2018 leadership election, and additionally campaigned with her throughout Oahu. After Kanazawa won the election, Aso Gomez was considered the frontrunner for the position of minister of education and culture in her ministry, but the position ultimately went to Helen Andersen.

### Education and culture minister

Following the 2021 general election, the Hawaiian media reported that Aso Gomez was in talks to replace Andersen as education and culture minister in the second Kanazawa ministry. The reports were ultimately proven correct, and Kanazawa nominated Aso Gomez to the position.

As education and culture minister, Aso Gomez is responsible for overseeing the Hawaiian public education system, education policy, private education regulations, arts policy, public administration of museums, galleries, libraries, and theatres, and arts funding. She has been reported to have referred to the position as her "dream job."

## Personal life

Aso Gomez began a relationship with Hawaiian realtor Chester Gomez in 1996. They became engaged in 1999, and later married the following year. Aso Gomez and Gomez have four children together: Dylan (born 2002), Aaron (born 2004), Sophia (born 2006), and Kendall (born 2009). The family resides in Kapolei.

Aso Gomez is a dual citizen of both Hawaii and California. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and is "conversational" in Japanese, but cannot speak Hawaiian.