(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — Honolulu business executive Sharon Weiner hopes to encourage entrepreneurial activity at the University of Hawaiʻi through the establishment of The Sharon Weiner Startsmart Entrepreneurship Endowment at the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE). Of the $150,000 gift from Weiner, $50,000 will be used to support PACE programs, and an additional $100,000 will go toward her endowment to develop entrepreneurial programs for students and faculty.
Weiner has included a substantial gift to the Shidler College of Business from her estate so the program will be perpetuated. "Helping those in the University community start their own enterprises reflects my personal interests: encouraging the development of entrepreneurs and, at the same time, supporting the University that gave me my own start in my career in Hawaiʻi," said Weiner. "I cannot imagine that I could have started a successful consultancy in Hawaiʻi without my UH MBA, and the personal contacts it gave me over the years. Hawaiʻi has been very generous to me and, in this small way, I hope to repay that generosity."
Weiner came to Hawaiʻi in 1973 and enrolled in the UH Executive MBA program at Mānoa campus, graduating in 1975. She began her career in the islands at C. Brewer & Co. working as a public relations manager. In 1979, she ventured out on her own to form Stryker Weiner Associates Inc., which became one of the largest independent public relations agencies in the state.
In 2000, Weiner sold her firm and joined DFS Hawaii as group vice president in charge of DFS' international global communications and government relations in Hawaiʻi.
Weiner has a distinguished record of public service in Hawaiʻi. She served on the boards of Catholic Charities, the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Boy Scouts Aloha Council, Chaminade University and Aloha United Way. She was a UH regent from 1999-2002. She currently is vice chair of the Japan America Society of Hawaii and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and a director of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii and Friends of Hawaii Public Libraries.
"Sharon continues to be a staunch supporter of the College's entrepreneurial and alumni activities," said V. Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. "As a member of the College's Hall of Honor, she volunteers as a UH Business Plan coach and judge and a guest lecturer. We are extremely fortunate that she continues to share her experience, leadership and generosity with the College."
"We are grateful to Sharon Weiner for her contribution and commitment to developing entrepreneurship programs for our students and faculty," said UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. "This endowment at UH Mānoa will have a lasting impact in developing new entrepreneurs to stimulate Hawaiʻi's economy."
If you are interested in supporting the Shidler College of Business or hearing more about current initiatives, contact Terry Wells, Assistant Vice President of Development at (808) 956-4215 or [email protected].
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The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the College is a professional school offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawaiʻi accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu.
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org
