The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi, concurrently the Secretary of State of Hawaiʻi, is the assistant chief executive of that U.S. state and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaiʻi State Constitution Article V, Sections 2 though 6. He or she is elected by popular suffrage of residents of the state on the same ticket as the Governor of Hawaiʻi. The lieutenant governor becomes acting governor upon the absence of the governor from the state, or if the governor becomes disabled from duty. In his or her capacity as Secretary of State of Hawaiʻi, the lieutenant governor is the chief elections officer. Historically, lieutenant governors were members of either the Hawaiʻi Democratic Party or Hawaiʻi Republican Party.

The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi is limited to two four-year terms. Inauguration takes place on the first Monday in December following a gubernatorial election. A single term ends at noon four years later. He or she must be thirty years old and be a resident of Hawaiʻi for five consecutive years previous to election. Unlike other states, the office of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi is a full-time position and requires that he or she be barred from other professions or paid positions during the term.

The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state. The governor is responsible for enforcing laws passed by the Hawaii State Legislature and upholding rulings of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The role includes being commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Hawaii and having the power to use those forces to execute laws, suppress insurrection and violence and repel invasion. The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii becomes acting governor upon the governor's absence from the state or disability from discharging duties. Historically, the Governor of Hawaii has been from either the Democratic Party of Hawaii or Hawaii Republican Party.

The current Governor of Hawaii is Democrat Neil Abercrombie, who assumed the position on December 6, 2010.

The Governor of Hawaii is limited to two four-year terms. Inauguration takes place on the first Monday in December following a gubernatorial election. A single term ends at noon four years later. There is no lifetime limit on the number of times he or she may be elected, but a governor who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one election cycle before being eligible once again for re-election. A Governor is:

Coordinates: 21°18′41″N 157°47′47″W / 21.31139°N 157.79639°W / 21.31139; -157.79639

Hawaii (ⁱ/həˈwaɪ.iː/ or /həˈwaɪʔiː/; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi Hawaiian pronunciation: [hɐˈvɐiʔi]) is the most recent of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.

Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches and oceanic surrounding, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and the island of Hawaiʻi. The last is by far the largest and is often called "The Big Island" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command". In many Commonwealth of Nations states, a lieutenant governor is the representative of the monarch and act as chief executive officer of the state, province or territory they received appointment.

The Netherlands has a Lieutenant governor (Dutch: gezaghebber) in each of the three special municipalities on the islands in the Caribbean Netherlands; Saba, Bonaire, and Sint Eustatius, where their function is similar to a Mayor in the European Netherlands.

In the Netherlands Antilles, the Lieutenant governor (Dutch: gezaghebber) was head of the governing council of the island territories which formed a level of decentral government until the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

Brian Emanuel Schatz (born October 20, 1972) is an American politician who is the 11th and current Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006, where he represented the 25th legislative district, and was Chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 to 2010.

Schatz was elected Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election as the running mate of Neil Abercrombie, following work as Chief Executive Officer of Helping Hands Hawaii, an Oahu nonprofit social service agency.

Brian Schatz grew up in Hawaii, attending Punahou School there followed by a B.A. in Philosophy from Pomona College in Claremont, California. While at Pomona, Schatz also spent a term studying in Kenya as part of the International Training Program, where Schatz developed skills as a public servant.

After returning to Hawaii, Schatz taught at Punahou School before moving into the non-profit sector.

Brian Schatz is married to Linda Kwok Kai Yun Schatz and has a son Tyler and a daughter Mia.