Lauren Cheape

Lauren Cheape Matsumoto (born August 16, 1987) is an American politician and beauty pageant titleholder, who is a member of the Hawaii State House representing Hawaii's 45th District. Matsumoto represents Schofield, Mokuleia, Waialua, Kunia, Waipio Acres, and her hometown of Mililani in the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She holds the title of Miss Hawaii 2011, and competed in the Miss America 2012 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii.

Personal life

Matsumoto was born Lauren Cheape and raised in Mililani, where she attended Mililani Waena Elementary, was a member of the first class to attend Mililani Middle School, and graduated from Mililani High School. She participated in many activities, including the jump rope team, volleyball, swimming, water polo, and the symphonic ensemble.

Cheape graduated from University of Hawai'i Academy for Creative Media with a B.A. in film production and minored in both Business and Japanese. Her first experience with the legislature was with her documentary, Farm Grown, which helped pass the Feed Subsidy Bill. Cheape was a four-year Division I scholar-athlete at the University of Hawai‘i as a Wahine Water Polo player. She was also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and initiated the C.A.R.E. (Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone) program, which uses student-athletes to encourage youth to excel in academics and participate in athletics. Cheape earned an MBA from Hawaii Pacific University in May 2015.

In July 2013, Cheape married Scott Matsumoto, a firefighter for the Honolulu Fire Department, and changed her name to Lauren Matsumoto. The pair met at their church, One Love, where they are active members. Their first child, Noah, was born in August 2017.

Beauty pageants

Matsumoto competed at Miss Hawaii 2011 as Miss East Oahu. Her talent was a jump rope routine, which she took up after seeing a jump rope team perform at her school. Her platform is C.A.R.E.: Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone. She won the Miss Hawaii title on her fourth try. She represented Hawaii at the National Sweetheart 2010 pageant, a spot she earned by placing 2nd runner-up to Miss Hawaii 2010. She was named a Quality of Life Finalist and won the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Award for most money raised in the country, which benefited Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, at the Miss America 2012 pageant.

Political career

Matsumoto ran a successful campaign for election in 2012 to the newly formed District 45 of the Hawaii State House on Oahu, Hawaii. District 45 comprises Matsumoto's hometown of Mililani as well as Schofield, Wheeler, Mokuleia, and Waialua. She ran unopposed in the primaries as a Republican candidate.

Matsumoto campaigned on expanding local agriculture, strengthening education, improving the local economy, and advocating for responsible environmental policies.

Matsumoto was hospitalized with occupational burnout for two weeks during her first term in office.

Community service and awards

Representative Matsumoto is an active member of the Council of State Government (CSG) and was selected to attend their Western Legislative Academy program in 2014. She was then named a Toll Fellow in 2015, participating in CSG's selective leadership development program for state officials. In 2015 she was also chosen to be a part of Governing Institute inaugural class of women in government. In addition, she was elected as the Western Regional Board director on the Women In Government National Board, having previously served as the Hawaii State Director. Lauren also serves as a founding member of the Echelon Board of the Salvation Army - Hawaiian and Pacific Islands.