Logan Okita

Logan Okita became vice president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association on July 5, bringing her experience as an elementary school teacher and various leadership roles within the HSTA to her new position.

Okita grew up in Palolo on Oahu and attended Epiphany Elementary, a small Episcopalian private school in Kaimuki that is now a part of Mid Pacific Institute. She attended Jarrett Middle and Kaimuki High before earning her bachelor’s degree in education and learning from Pacific University in Oregon. She went on to earn her master’s in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa while teaching.

In addition to teaching elementary students, Okita facilitated Jump Start, a summer professional development curriculum from the National Education Association to help teachers prepare for the national board process.

Okita was later appointed as the state chair of HSTA’s Youth, Human and Civil Rights Committee, now known as the Human and Civil Rights Committee. She also successfully ran for a seat on the board, a position she held for four years. She most recently served as secretary-treasurer for the past three years, overseeing the union’s finances and budget.

Okita ran for vice president because she wanted to continue supporting members on the ground, and her goal is to help members see HSTA as their union. She also believes that a teacher’s working conditions are a student’s learning conditions.

As vice president of HSTA, Okita’s top priority is making PD opportunities available to teachers. She said that PD is more meaningful when teachers can apply what they’ve learned into all aspects of their lives, not only the classroom. Okita’s other responsibilities include supporting HSTA’s committees and their special projects.