Governor Josh Green, M.D.named State Representative and former State House Vice Speaker John Mizuno as the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness.

Mizuno, who will succeed James Koshiba, is a veteran in the social services field and an advocate for Hawaiʻi’s youth,  kūpuna and the disability community. Prior to his career as a lawmaker, he was a special investigator for the Department of Human Services and served as a Public Hearings Officer for the department between 1992 and 1998.

As a first-term lawmaker, he was the first in Hawaiʻi to be recognized as Legislator of the Year, in 2006. He was vice speaker of the House from 2013 to 2017 and was re-elected to serve as vice speaker again from 2020 to 2022.

Mizuno is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa with a B.S. in Sociology and a law degree from Willamette University, College of Law in Salem Oregon.

In a press release Mizuno said, “It is humbling to have been appointed by Governor Green as his coordinator on homelessness and I am honored and grateful. My time with the House Committee on Human Services has greatly informed me of the needs of the houseless community and I will work tirelessly to fulfill Governor Green’s mission.”