Housing for all

data-driven policies

Supporting innovation and research to drive economic growth and sensible environmental solutions.

Solution for the Homeless

Implementing compassionate, successfully deployed programs that provide shelter, support, and pathways to stability.

Protecting Our Environment

Keep the country country. Promoting policies that preserve Hawaii’s natural beauty and preserve the ʻĀina.

a Veteran

Jason’s path to leadership began with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Infantry (1989–1991), where he served at Fort Drum, New York. In 1990, he joined the Multinational Force and Observers Coalition in Sinai, helping enforce the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel—a role that demanded discipline, diplomacy, and a steady commitment to stability in a volatile region. He earned the Expert Infantryman Badge before an honorable discharge in 1991.

a Scientist

After military service, Jason turned to science. At Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (1992–1996), he earned a Bachelor’s in Marine Science, laying the groundwork for a career dedicated to protecting natural ecosystems. That path led him to the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program (1999–2003) in San Diego, where he cared for dolphins and sea lions for vital environmental missions.

Mālama ʻĀina.

In 2003, Jason joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serving for more than 20 years as a biologist. He worked first at Florida’s J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, then in Hawaiʻi with the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Complex (2005–2024). His role focused on invasive species management and budgets—work that sharpened his ability to balance science, policy, and fiscal oversight.

Medical advocacy

In 2022, Jason founded Care Waialua Medicinal Plant Farm, advocating for Hawaiʻi’s medicinal cannabis patients. He has been active in legislation since 2021, introducing The Hawaiʻi’ Medicinal Cannabis Act (2022) to shift power away from big corporate dispensaries' attempts to take over Hawaii's fledgling cannabis industry toward a fairer, community-driven system. He has consistently opposed recreational cannabis commercialization, instead focusing on legacy growers and cooperative farming to provide whole plant medicine to the people of Hawaiʻi’.

New solutions

Hanley looks first to Hawaiian Indigenous Natural Agriculture (HINA) and traditional systems such as loʻi kalo, loko iʻa, and ahupuaʻa stewardship, while also drawing from regenerative farming models and Korean natural farming to restore the ʻāina and strengthen food security. He welcomes all viable community-driven solutions to these issues.

Practical expertise

From soldier to scientist to advocate, Jason’s record shows a consistent thread: service to people and protection of resources. In the Army, he learned discipline, teamwork, and the importance of peacekeeping in high-stakes environments. As a marine scientist and federal biologist, he spent more than two decades safeguarding threatened ecosystems, managing invasive species, and directing government budgets—skills that translate directly to overseeing state agencies and resources.