Joy Anne San Buenaventura is a Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate representing District 2 on Hawaii Island, including Pahoa southeast of Hilo. First elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives for District 4 in 2014 , she won her Senate seat in 2020 after defeating a primary challenger with 78.7% of the vote; her current term ends November 3, 2026. A 30-year resident of Hawaiian Paradise Park, she lives in a photovoltaic-powered home with her husband Weldin Sheldon Lehman, dog Makamae, and cat Kuʻuipo, and volunteers at the Judiciary’s Self-Help Center to help the public access courts.

Notable achievements and positions: She chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, serves as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, and is a member of the Senate Committee on Judiciary; in recent sessions, she initiated 69 bills and previously chaired the Human Services Committee while serving on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
• Political Experience:
  • Hawaii House of Representatives, District 4: 2014–2020 .
  • Hawaii State Senate, District 2: 2020–present.