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$400K+ raised for Shidler College, 4 alumni enter Hall of Honor

From left, Brian Bowers, David Morimoto, Julie Nakayama and Patrick Ogawa (Photo credit: Paula Ota)

The awardees with Shidler College Acting Dean Jing Ai and Jay H. Shidler

(Photo credit: Paula Ota)

(Photo credit: Paula Ota)

(Photo credit: Paula Ota)

(Photo credit: Paula Ota)

***SUGGESTED VO SCRIPT BELOW***

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s hosted its 34th Hall of Honor Awards on October 8 at the Sheraton Waikiki. The event celebrated distinguished business professionals who exemplify excellence in their fields, while raising funds to support the college. This year’s celebration brought together more than 400 guests to recognize the 2026 cohort and raised more than $400,000 thanks to the generosity of local businesses and the community.

The four newest inductees into the Hall of Honor include:

• Brian Bowers, MBA ‘96—president, Bowers + Kubota
• David Morimoto, BBA ‘91—vice chairman and chief operation officer, Central Pacific Financial Corp. and Central Pacific Bank
• Julie Nakayama, BBA ‘94—vice president and chief financial officer, Kyo-ya Management Co. Ltd.
• Patrick Ogawa, BBA ‘82—global lead client service partner and senior consulting partner, Deloitte Consulting

“Our four honorees represent what is possible with a Shidler education,” Shidler College Acting Dean Jing Ai said. “Through their leadership, accomplishments and service, they have made a difference in their communities, while continuing to strengthen the connection between our college and the world around us. Their stories also give our students something powerful to aspire to.”

Ai also shared several highlights reflecting the college’s continued momentum, including a 13% year-over-year increase in undergraduate enrollment at the . Shidler College was also ranked No. 23 in the nation for international business and No. 129 (tied) among 535 undergraduate business programs in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings.

“We are deeply grateful to our alumni, donors, business partners and friends for their continued belief in our students and our mission,” Ai said. “Their support enables us to attract exceptional faculty, expand meaningful opportunities for our students and continue strengthening Shidler’s impact and reputation here in Hawaiʻi and around the world.”

Premier fundraising event

The Hall of Honor Awards serve as the premier fundraising event in collaboration with the Shidler College of Business Alumni Association. Proceeds from the evening benefit the college, extending to student programs, scholarship opportunities, faculty research, alumni engagement and special initiatives. 

Shidler alumna and 2014 Hall of Honor recipient Gina Mangieri emceed the event. Bowers + Kubota, Deloitte, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank and Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts served as presenting sponsors, while Jay H. Shidler served as contributing sponsor and The Queen’s Health System as platinum sponsor. Pacific Business News was the media sponsor. If you would like to support Shidler College, contact Jennifer Lieu, director of development, at Jennifer.Lieu@uhfoundation.org or (808) 956-3597. For a full list of past honorees, visit the .

Founded in 1949, the Shidler College of Business was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. Since his initial gift of $25 million in 2006, Shidler has given approximately $238 million to the college in cash, land leases and in-kind donations. His contributions represent the largest individual donation to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the second largest known gift to a U.S. public university business school.

In 2019, the School of Travel Industry Management rejoined the college. The college is renowned for its multicultural learning environment and its expertise in international business education and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 25 schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the college offers a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The college has the only graduate program in the state of Hawai‘i and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit .

VO SCRIPT:

INTRO:

Four local business leaders are the newest inductees into the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business Hall of Honor.

VO:

The college celebrated its 34th annual awards Thursday night at the Sheraton Waikiki.

More than 400 people attended, raising over 400-thousand dollars to support student scholarships, programs and faculty research.

The honorees are Brian Bowers, David Morimoto, Julie Nakayama and Patrick Ogawa.

Shidler Acting Dean Jing Ai says their leadership and achievements show students what’s possible with a Shidler education.