Central Pacific Bank invests $200,000 in UH Entrepreneurship Center
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Central Pacific Bank commits $200,000 to PACE. (full caption in release)
Led by chairman and CEO John Dean, Central Pacific Bank (CPB) and its executives have committed $200,000 to the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) to expand the Center and its programs. A new accelerator program will be a key feature. The Center, located in the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business, facilitates entrepreneurial education and research commercialization at UH. CPB’s gift will go towards the 5-year PACE initiative that was launched in February 2014. The goal is to raise $2.5 million to create new programs, grow existing programs, and renovate a new and larger location in the Shidler College of Business.
The new facility will enable PACE to create a vibrant co-working space for entrepreneurial activity at the University, double the number of entrepreneurial programs it offers, introduce an entrepreneurial curriculum to other UH Mānoa colleges, train key faculty on current entrepreneurial pedagogy, play a pivotal role in the commercialization of UH technology and innovation, and establish a presence in Asia as a leader in entrepreneurial education.
CPB co-president and chief operating officer Catherine Ngo and CPB chief financial officer Denis Isono also committed to join the newly formed PACE Board of Directors which is chaired by John Dean.
“PACE plays a significant role in Hawai‘i’s economic diversification by supporting the growth of our innovation-based industry, as well as the development of high-skill jobs and an entrepreneurial talent pool in our state,” said Dean, chairman and CEO of CPB.
Under the leadership of dean Vance Roley and executive director Susan Yamada, PACE has become the training ground for future entrepreneurs and business leaders as well as the bridge between the academic and business worlds. PACE has expanded to include 15+ programs to cultivate new entrepreneurs, encourage entrepreneurial thinking, spawn new businesses, and rekindle ties with Hawai‘i’s business community.
“John Dean and CPB have been avid supporters of entrepreneurship in the community and at the University. Their leadership gift enables PACE to expand its role within the University by providing significantly more entrepreneurial programs to students and faculty. An increase in entrepreneurial activity benefits not only the University, but our State,” said Yamada.
Those wishing to learn more or contribute to PACE are invited to contact Unyong Nakata, director of development, at unyong.nakata@uhfoundation.org or (808) 956-3597. Donor recognition naming opportunities are still available.
Photo caption:
From Left to Right: Vance Roley, dean, Shidler College of Business; Susan Yamada, executive
director, Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship; Larry Rodriguez, retired executive, Central
Pacific Bank; John Dean, chairman & CEO, Central Pacific Bank; Catherine Ngo, co-president &
chief operating officer, Central Pacific Bank; Denis Isono, chief financial officer, Central Pacific
Bank; Donna Vuchinich, president & CEO, UH Foundation; and Tom Apple, chancellor, UH Mānoa.