About Jackie Keefe

My name is Jackie Keefe, and I’m a community advocate, organizer, and lifelong service worker who believes that leadership should be grounded in real experience, transparency, and accountability.

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with the intention of becoming a high school teacher. While teaching wasn’t the right long-term fit, that education shaped how I think: analytically, practically, and with an emphasis on problem-solving. Those skills have stayed with me throughout my career.

I’ve worked in restaurants of all sorts (from dive bars to fine-dining) since the age of 16. I have served in many roles, including general manager. Hospitality taught me team management, balancing budgets, resolving conflict, and making good decisions under constant pressure. It’s hard work that demands responsibility, empathy, and follow-through.

Jackie (right) stands behind the bar smiling at the camera beside Emma Ko'omoa, Joey Macadangdang, and Donna Esteban.

A Turning Point

Like for so many in our community, the August 2023 wildfires changed everything for me. What had been a career built around service and leadership became a call to serve my community in a different way.

After August 8th, I stepped into a new kind of service… finding ways to share accurate information, helping neighbors navigate the recovery systems, and working alongside community members and organizations to fill gaps when our systems failed.

I now serve as an advocate for fire survivors with medical, access, and functional needs and a member of the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, working to ensure that recovery, preparedness, and policy decisions include the voices of our most marginalized community members.

Jackie smiles at the camera wearing an orchid lei and her sunglasses placed on her hat, pointing a shaka at 'West Maui Community Aid.'

Why I’m running

I’m running for state office because too many people feel unheard, underserved, or locked out of the political process entirely. I believe government should be accessible, responsive, and rooted in the lived realities of the people it serves — especially working families, small businesses, and those navigating crisis and recovery.

My background isn’t traditional, but it’s practical. I understand what it means to show up every day, manage competing needs, and make decisions that affect real people’s lives. I also understand how systems work and where they break down.

I’m running as a Green Party candidate because I believe we need bold, community-centered solutions, real accountability, and collaboration over partisan gridlock. I’m especially committed to engaging people who have stopped voting or never felt represented, and to building a future that prioritizes resilience, equity, and care for one another.

Four people smiling at the camera

My Core Values

  • Transparency & Accountability

  • Community

  • Inclusion & Accessibility

  • Collaboration

I don’t come to this work as a career politician. I come to it from a lifetime of serving others and as someone who stepped up when my community needed it most.

Jackie standing on "snow" in a red shirt and pink shorts in front of inflatable Christmas decorations

Contact us

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