Speaker appoints three key positions

Speaker of the House Calvin K.Y. Say announced today he appointed C.J. Leong as the House of Representatives Chief Clerk, replacing Patricia Mau-Shimizu upon her retirement.

House Chief Clerk: Leong has served in the House for over 25 years. Most recently, she was the Director of the House Majority Staff Office. Prior to that, she served for 16 years as the Assistant Chief Clerk and nine years with the House Finance Committee. She has a degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland and is a U.S. Army veteran.

House Majority Staff Office: Speaker Say also announced the appointment of Joan Yamaguchi as the new Director and Rebecca L. Anderson as the Assistant Director of the House Majority Staff Office.

Joan Yamaguchi is an attorney who has worked at the legislature for over 10 years in various capacities. Prior to her appointment as Director, she served as the Assistant Director at the House Majority Staff Office. She also worked for the Hawaii Insurance Commissioner, and as Chief Legal Counsel for and Administrative Director of the Public Utilities Commission. Yamaguchi has a law degree from Southern Methodist University.

Rebecca Anderson joined the House Majority Staff Office this past year after serving in the Senate Majority Research Office for several years. Prior to working at the legislature, Anderson focused on the areas of nonprofit management and issue advocacy in both Hawaii and Texas. In Hawaii, she worked with homeless clients at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and managed activities at the federally-fund Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Homeless Holistic Legal Services Program. She holds a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Rhodes College.

The three appointments are effective December 1, 2011.