HONOLULU — Former Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI) executive Robert Clarke and his wife Edwina have donated $100,000 to fund a scholarship endowment for first-year students accepted into the Shidler College of Business Direct Admit Program (DAP).
“Bob and Edwina’s gift will have a tremendous impact on the quality of students we attract at the college and help us develop the next generation of business leaders,” says Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. “Since retiring, Bob has been involved with the college at every level. From the classroom to the boardroom, Bob has served as a member of the college’s advisory council, an Executive-In-Residence, a lecturer and a mentor to our faculty.”
“Edwina and I are proud to invest in the Direct Admit Program students through our new endowment,” says Bob Clarke. “About 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of piloting the Shidler Scholars program which later evolved into what is now known as DAP. Supporting Vance and the college in my retirement years has been a great investment of time and resources as I get to witness first-hand the impact of mentoring the next generation of business leaders.”
Before retiring in 2006, Clarke had built an illustrious career as a business executive in Hawai‘i. Originally from California, Clarke worked for Dillingham Corporation as a controller and Alexander & Baldwin as senior vice president and chief financial officer. In 1987, Clarke joined HEI as vice president of strategic planning and led the company through its diversification strategy and expansion. He quickly moved up the ranks rising to president and CEO of HEI in 1991 and was named chairman, president and CEO of the company in 1998.
During his career, Clarke sat on several boards including Hawaii Pacific University, the Straub Foundation, The Oceanic Institute, the Nature Conversancy of Hawaii and the American Judicature Society–Hawaii Chapter. He was also a member of the Hawaii Business Roundtable and the Air Force Civilian Advisory Council. Edwina Clarke began her career at KPMG as an auditor and later moved to Hawaiian Electric Industry Inc. where she led investor relations prior to being promoted to treasurer. Edwina most recently served as treasurer for Kamehameha Schools before retiring.
Clarke received a BA degree in economics and an MBA degree in finance from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2008, Clarke was inducted into the Shidler College of Business Hall of Honor. Edwina received a BBA in accounting from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 1985.
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The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Established in 1949, 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 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News. 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 Hawai‘i and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit shidler.hawaii.edu.
The University of Hawai‘i 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 thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter www.twitter.com/UHManoaNews.
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org
