Abercrombie forms policy team

HONOLULU—Gov. Neil Abercrombie yesterday named his policy team to oversee policy initiatives and legislative issues.

Wendy Clerinx will serve as policy director, Tammi Oyadomari-Chun and Michael Ng as policy analysts, and Debbie Shimizu as the legislative liaison.

Clerinx, 36, worked under Abercrombie for 10 years in Washington, D.C. when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Clerinx began as his legislative assistant in 2000 and was promoted to legislative director, where she worked on issues including the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, and legislation advancing the nation’s movement to renewable energy. Clerinx, grew up in Hilo and graduated from Waiakea High School. She holds a BS in economics, a BA in political science from Santa Clara University, and a law degree from George Washington University.

Oyadomari-Chun, 38, is executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, a statewide partnership working to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through higher education. She previously held positions with GEAR UP Hawaii, a federal program at UH to increase access for low-income students to attend higher education; the RAND Corporation; the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania; and at Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN). Oyadomari-Chun earned degrees from Moanalua High School, Pomona College, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and University of Southern California.

Ng, 37, worked for the State House of Representatives Committee on Finance from 2003 to 2010 and was the Budget Chief for the last four years. Prior to that, Ng was Budget Analyst for the Senate Ways and Means Committee. An Iolani High School graduate, Ng received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Applied Science from California Institute of Technology.

Shimizu, 56, is a licensed social worker and has been the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter since 1991. She received her Bachelor’s degree in social work from Whittier College in California and a master’s degree in social work from UH Manoa. She has also held positions at the Easter Seal Society, Mental Health Association, Army Community Services, and the UH School of Social Work.