Chad Schimmelfennig
Hawaiʻi State House District 17 • Kona Moku
Rooted Here. Working for You.
Friends of Chad
PO Box 982
Hanapepe, HI 96716
Chad Schimmelfennig
Hawaiʻi State House District 17
Chad Schimmelfennig is a 6th generation Koloa son, born in Waimea and raised between plantation camps and the sea.
He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, public school graduate, licensed teacher, former charter school executive director, and current welding instructor at Kauaʻi Community College and cultural monitor — a man who has lived and worked every role he now seeks to represent.
Chad’s educational path reflects his commitment to service, teaching, and leadership. He earned his Applied Science degree through the Community College of the Air Force, his Associate’s in Liberal Arts from Kauaʻi Community College, his Bachelor’s in Education from UH Mānoa, and his Master’s in Education Leadership from Chaminade University.
A Life Lived in Service to This Place
Chad is running for State House District 17 because Kona Moku deserves a representative who has actually lived the life of its people — who has worked with his hands, stood in front of a classroom, fought to preserve Hawaiian culture, raised children on this land, and never left.
Pillars of Values
Housing
We know what is at stake in Kona Moku.
Our families are working harder than ever to stay rooted in the place we call home. Our schools need support. Our ʻāina needs protection. Our culture needs more than words — it needs us to stand up, show up, and do the work.
We deserve leadership that has lived the life of our people. Leadership that knows what it means to work with your hands, raise children on this land, stand in front of a classroom, protect Hawaiian culture, and stay committed to this place.
These are the values we are standing for.
Education
We believe our keiki deserve a great school and a real future here at home.
Our students need strong public schools, supported teachers, Hawaiian-focused education, and trades pathways that prepare them for meaningful work in their own community. Education should not push our children away from home. It should give them the tools to serve, lead, build, and thrive right here.
When we invest in education, we invest in the future of Kona Moku.
Culture
We believe the land and legacy of this moku must be protected by people who know how to steward it.
Our ʻāina, loko iʻa, heiau, watersheds, homesteads, and cultural practices are not talking points. They are living responsibilities. We need policies that honor the ʻāina — not just speak of it — and we need a practitioner’s voice helping carry that responsibility forward.
If we want our culture to survive, we have to protect the places, practices, and people who keep it alive.
Paid for by Friends of Chad, PO Box 982, Hanapepe, HI 96716