William Punapaiašalaikahala "Billy" Kenoi was born in Kalapana and raised in Waiakea on the Big Island of Hawaii. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1993 with a degree in Political Science. Mr. Kenoi received his Law Degree from the University of Hawaiišs William S. Richardson School of Law in 1996, and was selected as the commencement speaker for his graduating class.

In the summer of 1992, he was selected for an internship with U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye in Washington DC. During the 1995 and 1996 Hawaii Legislative Sessions, he worked at the State Legislature as a Legislative Assistant while attending law school. In 1997, he began serving as a Deputy Public Defender in the District, Family, and Felony trial divisions on Oahu. He was asked by Mayor Harry Kim in September 2001 to return to Hawaii Island and serve as his Executive Assistant. One of his first assignments was to coordinate the County of Hawaiišs Anti-Meth initiative. In 2008, Mr. Kenoi was elected Mayor of Hawaii County.

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