Matthew S. LoPresti is an American politician who served as a member of the

Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives () is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention, 1978 constit ...

for District 41 (Ewa, Ewa Beach, Ewa Gentry, Ewa Villages, Hoakalei, Ocean Pointe). He previously served from January 2015 to January 2019. He was a candidate for state Senate 19th district in 2018. In January 2021, LoPresti helped found the bicameral Progressive Legislative Caucus and served as its chair. He was defeated in the

2022 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local e ...

by Republican

David Alcos David Augustine Alcos III (born 1967 or 1968) is an American politician from the Hawaii Republican Party. He was first elected in 2022 to the Hawaii State House of Representatives from District 41. Early life and education Alcos was born and r ...

Education

LoPresti earned a Bachelor of Arts in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, Bachelor of Arts in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, and Master of Arts in philosophy from the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

, followed by a PhD in philosophy from the

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...

Career

LoPresti is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Hawai‘i Pacific University. He has taught in various capacities at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa,

Chaminade University Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bache ...

, Kapiolani Community College,

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

, University of Toledo, and Antioch College's Buddhist Studies Program in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England and

Bodhgaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained e ...

, India. In 2020, he was invited to Jinan, China to present a speech to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences entitled "Nurturing an Ecological Economy: a role for traditional Hawaiian and Chinese values." LoPresti was elected to consecutive two-year terms on the executive committee of the Sierra Club's Oahu Group, where he served as Vice Chair. He was also elected to a two-year term on the ‘Ewa Neighborhood Board in 2011. During the

2018 elections The following elections occurred in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general election 7 and 31 ...

, LoPresti gained notice for a video recording depicting his tampering with an opponent's campaign flyer, for which he later apologized. He previously denied taking down an opponent's political signs in the 2016 elections. In 2022, LoPresti served as Chair of the House Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts. He was also a member of the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Personal life

LoPresti was arrested for driving under the influence on 17 June 2022, by troopers near Ewa Beach. The charges were dismissed later that year, though prosecutors filed for an extension and in November a hearing was set for reconsideration of the dismissal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopresti, Matthew Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature Place of birth missing (living people) University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty University of Toledo alumni Chaminade University of Honolulu faculty