I am Brendan Schultz. Born in Honolulu, I grew up on O'ahu and throughout the United States as the child of a US Navy Captain. I proudly attended public schools and then college on the GI Bill. I have dedicated my entire professional career to caring for the world’s most vulnerable people in their times of greatest need as a humanitarian aid worker and international development specialist. Working in communities spanning five continents, I have led human rights education programs in the mountains of Macedonia, researched inter-ethnic violence on the sands of the Kalahari Desert, taught English in the valleys of Palestine, led food distribution programs during the height of the pandemic on the streets of Los Angeles, and developed youth empowerment initiatives here on our islands.

The same motivations that led me to become a humanitarian aid worker have led me to run for Honolulu City Council District 5. Our island lies at a point in which the people of O'ahu must decide if we continue with the status quo or demand change. The status quo has brought unaffordable housing, unsafe streets, and a corrupt government for the working families that call Honolulu home. I am running for City Council because our island needs a leader in Honolulu Hale that demands change – and if you want a servant leader who will fight for working families, our Keiki, and our Kupuna, I would be honored to be your representative for the Honolulu City Council District 5.

The Early Years

Like most military children on O’ahu, I was born in Tripler Military Hospital – the backward pink building implanted in the hills of Honolulu. In addition to growing up on O’ahu, I lived in Virginia, Washington State, Connecticut, Washington DC, and Macedonia during my childhood. I am proud to have received an excellent education in public schools throughout the United States.

As a military child during the Iraq War, my mother was deployed to Iraq and other conflict zones five times throughout my childhood. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother being deployed to Iraq and me and my family not knowing if she would return. Many Americans and I were skeptical of the justification for the Iraq War from the outset. Since 2003, we have learned that our political leaders lied about Iraq’s fictitious weapons of mass destruction. I will never forget how the political establishment saw my mother, tens of thousands of other service members, and millions of Iraqis as expendable in the pursuit of profit.

Southeastern Europe and College

For my final year of high school, I received a YES Abroad scholarship from the United States State Department to study in Macedonia, a small country in Southeastern Europe. My time in Macedonia was the most transformational of my life. I was welcomed into my host family, my host school, and my host community with open arms.

Following my year in Macedonia, I began my university studies at Pitzer College, a Claremont College. My college experience was made possible by government funding from the GI Bill. I graduated in three years with an honors degree in politics, philosophy, and sociology.

Humanitarian Aid and International Development Work

My humanitarian career began teaching English in Palestine with Project HOPE, a local NGO in Nablus, a city in the Northern West Bank. From this work, I transitioned to researching the inter-ethnic social dynamics of high school students in Botswana to help prevent inter-ethnic violence in public dormitory schools in the Kalahari Desert. During the pandemic, I worked for IsraAID, an Israeli Humanitarian Organization, coordinating food distribution programs in California for communities that were food insecure because of the economic devastation brought by the pandemic.

Encapsulating my humanitarian experiences, I founded and served as the Executive Director of United by Love, an international non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating cohesive communities in former conflict areas through youth development and inter-ethnic understanding programs. As the Executive Director of United by Love, I have led the organization’s programs and expansion throughout Eastern Europe. Under my leadership, the organization has empowered thousands of young people to become leaders in their communities.

Why I Am Running

for City Council

I am running for City Council to provide an alternative to the establishment politics that has failed you, your family, our community, and our island. If you believe that we need to send a champion of working families to Honolulu Hale to demand change, I would be honored to have your vote to represent Honolulu City Council District District 5.