Wooley Joins AARP Hawai‘i as Director of Advocacy

AARP Hawai‘i has appointed former legislator Jessica Wooley as its new advocacy director.

Jessica Wooley. Courtesy photo.

Wooley, who served in the state House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014 representing Windward Oahu, had been the CEO of ‘Aina Aloha Consulting, a legal, lobbying and advocacy firm since 2016. She is also a former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control and before her election was a deputy attorney general and worked as an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i.

In her new role, Wooley will advocate at the county, state and federal level for legislation to improve the lives of people 50 and older. AARP Hawai‘i’s priorities at the state Legislature this year include creating a state-facilitated retirement program called Hawai‘i Saves to help small businesses and private sector workers save for retirement through payroll deduction and the funding of programs to help caregivers and kupuna. At the federal level, AARP recently announced an effort to fight to lower the high cost of prescription drugs.

“We are pleased to have someone with Jessica’s experience join the AARP Hawai’i team,” said Barbara Kim Stanton, the state director of AARP Hawai’i. “Jessica’s many years of advocating for the public and community good fits well with AARP’s goal of empowering people to choose how they live as they age.”

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to fight for our kupuna and bills to create the Hawai‘i Saves program, so our hard working families will be able to retire with savings – not into poverty,” Wooley said.

Wooley received an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.