Strengthening Our Communities

Luke Evslin

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Luke is dedicated to a life of public service. He served on the Kaua’i County Council from 2018-2021, and has served in the Hawai’i State House of Representatives since 2021.

Born on Kauaʻi in 1984, he is the son of Dr. Lee and Micki Evslin. Luke grew up in Kapaʻa with his three older siblings Tanya, Noah, and Nathaniel. While in his final year at college he co-founded Kamanu Composites, the Oʻahu based outrigger canoe manufacturing company, with two of his closest friends from Kauaʻi High School.

They started their shop in October of 2007. Just as they began their future, millions of Americans saw their futures begin to disappear along with their savings, homes, and jobs in the Great Recession. “We didn’t understand subprime mortgages” Luke writes, “but we did understand manufacturing.” As Luke sees it, part of America's problem was that we forgot how to build after outsourcing so much overseas. So they've been determined to do their small part in fixing that, one locally made carbon fiber canoe at a time. In ten years, the company has grown to become the largest producer of outrigger canoes in America. 

While living on Oʻahu, Luke met a young woman who challenged his worldview and changed his life. Born in a refugee camp, Sokchea is the daughter of survivors of the brutal Cambodian genocide. As a child, she and her family were granted political asylum in the United States as refugees. Sokchea grew up in a government public housing project in South Central, Los Angeles. Her direct experience with the horrifying potential of humanity as well as the transformative power of a welcoming country have deeply affected both her and Luke's political perspectives. Sokchea and Luke married on Kauaʻi in 2011. 

In the 2010 Molokaʻi Hoe, Luke was run over by a motor boat. The propeller sliced him five times across the back, shattering both his pelvis and the course of his life. In his words, “that moment changed everything.”

The injury led him back home to Kauaʻi to recover. He never left again.

It was through the trials of running his business that Luke learned of the importance of livable wages and economic diversity, but it was only by moving home to the community he grew up in that he began to understand the importance of cultivating community resilience, connectivity, and shared values. Since coming back to Kauaʻi, Luke has served on the County Open Space Commission, the Community Advisory Committee for the General Plan, the board of directors for Malama Huleiʻa, the Kaua’i County Council, and in 2020 he received a Master’s degree in public administration with a certificate in public policy from USC.

His journey, from entrepreneurship to public service has fostered a deep belief that together we can solve our greatest problems. It's this belief that has led him to run for a seat on the Kauaʻi County Council and then for the Hawai’i State House of Representatives.

Luke and Sokchea live in Lihuʻe with their daughter Finley, their son Levi, and their dog Piko. Sokchea is a business systems analyst for Hawaiʻi Pacific Health out of Wilcox Medical Center. Seven-year old Finley likes to ride her bike, five-year old Levi likes to play in his little inflatable pool, and Piko spends most of her time sleeping while occasionally escaping through the front door to wander the neighborhood. 

Education

- Kauaʻi High School, 2003
- Claremont McKenna College, coursework in government, 2003-2005
- University of Hawai‘i, Bachelor of Arts in history with coursework towards a minor in business, 2005-2007
- University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, Master's of public administration with a certificate in public policy, 2020

Work Experience

- Co-founder and managing partner at Kamanu Composites, 2007-current
- Columnist at Civil Beat, 2015-2016
- American government and Hawaiian history teacher at Island School, 2022

Community Service

- Kailua Canoe Club Novice Coach- 2008
- Hui O Mana Ka Puʻuwai adult paddling coach, 2012-2015
- Island School paddling coach, 2017-current
- Treasurer and board member at Malama Huleʻia, 2015-2021
- Commissioner on Open Space, Public Access and Natural Resources Preservation Commission Fund, 2013-2014
- Member of Community Advisory Committee, Kauaʻi General Plan Update, 2015-2016


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