Dawn Ige

Dawn Ige
First Lady of Hawaii
In role December 1, 2014 – December 5, 2022
Governor	David Ige
Preceded by	Nancie Caraway
Succeeded by	Jaime Green
Personal details
Born	Dawn Amano (1959-03-30) March 30, 1959 (age 65) Ewa, Territory of Hawaii
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	David Ige ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Hawaii Chaminade University of Honolulu
Profession	Teacher

Dawn Amano-Ige (born March 30, 1959) is an American educator who was the first lady of Hawaii as the wife of governor David Ige.[1]

Early life and education

Ige (née Amano) graduated from James Campbell High School.[2] She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and master's in business administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu.[3]

Career

Prior to serving as First Lady of Hawaii, Ige was a vice principal at Kanoelani Elementary School in Waipahu, Hawaii.[4] Before pursuing elementary education, Ige worked as a marketing director for Kapiolani Health Care Systems and a public relations account executive.[4][2]

First Lady of Hawaii

Ige advocated for child nutrition and literacy efforts. In 2018, Ige led the launch of the Hawaii State Department of Education's Jump Start Breakfast program to encourage morning meals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with the public schools to provide free meals and with nonprofits to create meal kits for families.[5] She continues to serve on the national No Kid Hungry Leadership Council.

In 2019, Ige also launched the Ohana Readers literacy program in partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and the Hawaii State Public Library System, offering free books mailed to families with children under 5 living on Molokai, Lanai, and parts of Kauai and Hawaii Island.[5]

She also led the restoration of the second floor of Washington Place and the creation of its website, washingtonplace.hawaii.gov. For Washington Place’s 175th anniversary in 2022, Ige hosted celebrations, tours, and educational programs, including a large keiki hula.[5]

She is considering a political run in the future.[5]

References

1. "The First Lady Dawn Ige Visits WHS – The Cane Tassel". thecanetassel.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
2. Ting, Yu Shing (30 December 2014). "Introducing Hawaii's New First Lady". MidWeek. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
3. Borreca, Richard (December 12, 2014). "Hawaii's new first lady will focus on education". Honolulu Star-Advertiser – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . p. A15. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
4. MidWeek Staff (6 May 2015). "First Lady Sends Off Grads". MidWeek. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
5. Infante, Esme (28 Nov 2022). "First lady Dawn Amano-Ige's work is not done". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 24 June 2023.