Michelle Naomi Kidani (born September 30, 1948, in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hawaii) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the

Hawaii Senate The Hawaii State Senate ( Hawaiian: Ka ‘Aha Kenekoa) is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President ...

since November 2012 representing District 18. Kidani served consecutively from 2008 until 2012 in the District 17 seat.

Education

Kidani earned her

Associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

in 1969 as a

legal secretary A legal secretary is a particular category of worker within the legal profession. Background In the practice of law in the United States, a legal secretary is a person who works in the legal profession, typically assisting lawyers. Legal secretari ...

from Honolulu Business College, her AA in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

in 1980 from

Leeward Community College Leeward Community College is a public community college in Pearl City, Hawaii. It is one of 10 campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi system and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Leeward's open admis ...

, and her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in 1993 from

unaccredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

Kennedy-Western University (later Warren National University), a defunct

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

institution that was sued for fraudulent practices by former students and deemed a

diploma mill A diploma mill or degree mill is a business that sells illegitimate diplomas or academic degrees, respectively. The term ''diploma mill'' is also used pejoratively to describe any educational institution with low standards for admission and gradua ...

by federal investigators. As of 2023, she is the vice-chair of the Hawaii Senate Higher Education Committee.

Elections

*2012 Redistricted to District 18, and with Democratic Senator Clarence K. Nishihara redistricted to District 17, Kidani won the August 11, 2012 Democratic Primary with 7,434 votes (60.3%) against former Representative Michael Magaoay, and won the November 6, 2012 General election with 14,518 votes (67.3%) against Republican nominee Rojo Herrera. *2008 Kidani challenged incumbent Senator Ron Menor in the three-way September 20, 2008 Democratic Primary, winning with 3,890 votes (41.2%), and was unopposed for the November 4, 2008 General election.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Hawaii State Legislature The Hawaii State Legislature ( Hawaiian: Ka ‘Aha‘ōlelo kau kānāwai o ka Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i) is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii, consisting of the Hawaii State Senate (upper house with 25 senators) and t ...

* 1948 births Living people American women of Asian descent in politics 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians of Asian descent American women of Japanese descent in politics Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent Honolulu Business College alumni Democratic Party Hawaii state senators 21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature Leeward Community College alumni Politicians from Honolulu Women state legislators in Hawaii Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in Hawaii {{Hawaii-politician-stub