Hawaii’s new governor has placed great faith in the hands of two youthful aides — Chief of Staff Amy Asselbaye and Deputy Chief of Staff Andrew Aoki.

The two have very different histories with Neil Abercrombie.

Asselbaye, 41, has worked nearly her entire professional life for the 72-year-old Democrat. She started as a legislative aide in his congressional office 17 years ago, rising to chief of staff by 2005. She was operations director for the gubernatorial campaign.

Aoki, 40, is a latecomer to the Abercrombie circle — he came on board in March 2009, as deputy campaign manager — and has little previous experience working for a politician. Yet he is credited as being a key player in Abercrombie’s campaign for governor and has assumed unusual responsibilities in his administration for a deputy chief of staff.

Even in the short time Abercrombie’s been in office, Asselbaye and Aoki have shown they’re capable of running a tight ship. So far, they’ve been largely successful in reining in a boss legendary for speaking his mind on any topic.

Civil Beat takes at look at the AAA Team, what it says about Abercrombie’s leadership style and how it may affect his agenda.

The press reports about Asselbaye and Aoki have been glowing: They are sharp, talented, calm, dedicated, well-informed; they practically walk on water.

Such comments pair with what Civil Beat has learned as well. Examples:

“She seems to be a true public servant,” said Clyde Namuo, administrator for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, about Asselbaye. “She understands Native Hawaiian issues and that is important for us.”

“A strategic thinker — a visionary,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, about Aoki. “He has excellent skill sets in putting together policy. And I would also say he loves Hawaii with all his heart.”

Abercrombie clearly trusts them, and credits them for his election victory.

“They were the heart and soul of the campaign,” Abercrombie said after naming them to his administration on Nov. 5 — his very first leadership appointments. “I have complete faith and confidence in their abilities and readiness to serve the people of Hawaii. Amy and Andrew both have young children in Hawaii’s public schools and they understand the issues facing families in Hawaii.”

Negative comments about Asselbaye and Aoki appear to be nonexistent, and neither has attracted much media scrutiny. But that may begin to change.

Since taking over the fifth floor of the Capitol, Asselbaye and Aoki have become high-ranking government officials. The success and failure of the Abercrombie administration arguably falls on their shoulders more than anyone else except their boss.

Both have kept the media largely at arm’s length. Abercrombie’s handlers turned down several requests for interviews with Asselbaye and Aoki, citing the demands of the transition into office.

They did provide some biographical information, however, and suggested the names of well-known people for references. Here’s what Civil Beat found:

Asselbaye ‘Neil’s Alter Ego’

Amy Brinkmeyer Asselbaye (pronounced “AH-SUL-BYE”) was born in Iowa and obtained a bachelor of science in political and public affairs communication from Florida State University.

Before going to work for Abercrombie, she held three internships: for Florida State Senator Jeanne Malchon in 1991, for the press secretary of Florida Department of Commerce in 1991; and at Eddie Mahe Company, a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C., in 1992.

According to the biography provided by Abercrombie’s administration, Asselbaye’s first real job was working for him.

In 1993 she began working for the congressman as a legislative correspondent, later as legislative assistant, senior legislative assistant, deputy legislative director, deputy chief of staff and chief of staff.

In 2009, her last full year working for Abercrombie in Congress, Asselbaye earned $138,000, according to the government transparency website LegiStorm.

Asselabaye is married and has three children and has lived in Honolulu since 2003. She likes to jog.

“She is one of sharpest people I have ever worked with,” said Dave Helfert, Abercrombie’s communications director from 2006 to 2010. “She is smart, and she has great politcal instincts.”

Helfert said it is unusual for a chief of staff to live and work in a district rather than in Washington with the congressman, as Asselabye did. But he thinks it worked to Abercrombie’s advantage.

“It made her that much more important because she represented Neil to the community,” says Helfert, now an adjunct teacher at American University and Johns Hopkins. “If there was a Chamber of Commerce meeting or with PACOM or with environmental groups or state and county officials, she represented Neil and the office a lot more than most chiefs of staff do. Most run the office or staff or legislative process. She was sort of Neil’s alter ego.”

Jeff Mikulina, formerly with the Sierra Club and now with the Blue Planet Foundation, has sat in many a meeting at Abercrombie’s congressional office at the federal building in Honolulu. He says Asselbaye sat in those meetings and kept Abercrombie to his agenda.

“Neil always does his thing — talking expressively, lost in ideas, going off on tangents — and she would always keep him on schedule,” he said. “She would look ahead, ask questions and then follow through. She translates what he wants into what is practical. In that role she has become very savvy about issues but also about how government works.”

Mikulina added: “Neil considers her a peer with a similar ideology. She pairs very well with him. She doesn’t just regurgitate what the the boss wants to hear.”

During the campaign, Asselbaye would often be at Abercrombie’s side. Catching the last Hawaiian Airlines flight back from a two-hour debate in Kona, for example, she made sure the candidate was upgraded to first class if there was space.

Aoki ‘An Impressive Man’

Andrew H. Aoki is a graduate of Iolani School. He holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Stanford University, a masters in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a law degree from the University of Michigan.

Before going to work for Abercrombie, Aoki was a director of the nonprofit, sustainablity-focused Kanu Hawaii and co-founder and principal of 3Point, a public interest research and planning firm.

Aoki oversaw grant-making for the HMSA Foundation, planned and conducted performance audits as an analyst for the Hawaii State Auditor and directed youth and teen programs for the YMCA of Honolulu.

A radio program that interviewed Aoki reveals he was an intern for Abercrombie in his Honolulu district office in 1993.

“Responsible for constituent casework involving immigration, military affairs, and various federal, state and county agencies. Wrote inquiries and correspondence on behalf of the Congressman,” according to a bio provided by Aoki to the radio program.

He also authored an article titled “American Democracy in Hawaii: Finding a Place for Local Culture” in the University of Hawaii Law Review, and “Policy Analysis Exercise: An Economic Development Policy for the Oglala Nation,” in collaboration with the Oglala Sioux of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Aoki is married with two kids. His Facebook friends include Sen. Rosalyn Baker and Daniel K. Inouye.

He describes himself this way on his Kanu Hawaii profile page: “My great grandparents came to Hawaii from Japan. They were fishermen and plantation workers. I was raised in Moanalua Valley — the trail at the back of the valley was like my own back yard. I spent seven years away from Hawai’i getting edumacated. Spent a lot of that time just thinking about coming home (which excessive listening to Olomana and Kalapana albums will make you do).”

On why he loves Hawaii, he wrote: “The first week in my college dorm in California, a bunch of us ordered pizza. When it came, the guys divided it up in proportion to how much we each paid. I love Hawaii because we just eat (and never grab the last piece).”

As for his interests, he wrote: “Being a dad, family time, friends time, football (armchair QB), home improvement, carpentry, fishing (haven’t gone in too long a time), all movies, all music, science, politics, playing guitar, hanging out with nothing fo’ do.”

State Auditor Marion Higa, who hired Aoki as an analyst for just over one year in the late 1990s, recalls Aoki as “an impressive man.”

Higa says Aoki’s work primarily focused on performance audits of the Hawaii Department of Education. Areas included charter schools and the Felix Consent Decree.

“He was very well-rounded, in addition to being bright, articulate, a good writer and good thinker,” said Higa. “He was outstanding and we were sorry to see him go. I am not surprised that he is deputy chief of staff. I’m sure it’s well-deserved.”

Loyal Staff

Abercrombie has a way of building loyalty among his aides.

“He puts a lot of trust in people, and that’s one of the things we love. He gives you a lot of freedom,” said Helfert, Abercrombie’s former communications director. “But he’s got high expectations and you have got to get it right. I can’t think of anyone on staff who walked out the door at 5 o’clock, ever.”

At least two other members of Abercrombie’s congressional staff are working for him at the Capitol: Kathleen Chapman, his executive assistant, and Wendy Clerinx, director of policy.

Helfert, who was in Hawaii this summer to help out with the campaign, describes Aoki as “scary smart — he has an incredible analytical sense. Amy and Andrew were in charge of making sure everything got done that needed to get done. A campaign is like a jailbreak: There are 68,000 things going on. It’s constant, and they did a terrific job.”

That they did. Political observers are still marveling at Abercrombie’s 22-point triumph in the primary over Mufi Hannemann and 17-point margin over James “Duke” Aiona in the general.

The campaign was aided in no small part by a media response team that quickly countered attacks by opponents, as when Hannemann’s “Compare and Decide” brochure made news or Aiona attempted to criticize an Abercrombie social-media staffer for linking to the lieutenant governor’s ties to a controversial religious group.

Abercrombie, in short, appeared like a mature leader who was above the political tit-for-tat. Credit Asselbaye and Aoki for keeping their guy focused.

Message Control

As it became clear that Abercrombie was going to win the general election, Abercrombie’s media availability seemed to decrease.

Since becoming governor he has not been widely available to the press (one exception: an hour-long TV interview with old friend Dan Boylan of PBS). Abercrombie’s answers to reporters’ questions on specific matters such as government programs and funding, for example, are often along the lines of “We’ll get back to you on that when we learn more.”

Of course, Abercrombie is governor now and has responsibilities that are more demanding than retail politics. But Aoki and Asselbaye also seem quite aware that their boss is notorious for speaking his mind on any topic.

When Abercrombie begins riffing in press conferences, cracking jokes and telling stories — as he did three times last week when he introduced Cabinet picks — Aoki, Asselbaye and his communications team standing nearby sometimes laugh nervously.

Last week, for example, he essentially altered his New Day policy on incarceration, saying he would not only stop sending prisoners out of state but also bring all Hawaii prisoners on the mainland back home as soon as possible. The revelation was prompted by a reporter and was not issued as a formal press statement.

Reporters, of course, love Abercrombie’s impromptu approach. If early indications are anything, however, Aoki and Asselbaye may encourage their boss to stick more to the script.

Abercrombie Comfortable Delegating

Aoki and Asselbaye clearly wield power in the new administration.

When Abercrombie could not attend a meeting in Colorado for new governors, they went in his stead. Asselbaye has often been observed quietly whispering instructions to staff at public events, while Abercrombie has often deferred questions about his appointments to Aoki.

Abercrombie seems comfortable with delegating responsibility, as seen in putting campaign manager Bill Kaneko in charge of the hiring. He wants to “make it happen,” as he said in his inaugural address.

How that will happen is still taking shape.

“Give me a little leeway here,” Abercrombie said last week as reporters kept peppering him with questions. “Take a deep breath and let me put together our team approach here.”

His A team approach, he might have added.