(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) - The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation has hired Kevin Takamori as associate vice president of alumni relations.
Takamori will be responsible for guiding the university's efforts to provide a program of alumni relations that generates goodwill and support for the University of Hawaiʻi's mission of excellence in research, teaching, and scholarship and enhances the life-long relationship between the university and its alumni.
"The university's alumni relations program has long been a tremendous — and untapped — opportunity to build and maintain relationships with alumni who, we hope, will also become strong UH supporters and donors," said UH Foundation President Betsy Sloane. "Kevin brings tremendous experience from his work at Harvard University, plus, as a UH alumni, he brings outstanding knowledge of our local market. Under his leadership, we believe the university's alumni relations program will reach its full potential," Sloane added.
"So many alumni are looking for ways to reconnect to UH, and we want to provide that opportunity," said Takamori. "I look forward to helping the Foundation grow and expand the Alumni Relations program, and to give UH graduates a way to continue to show their deep pride in UH. We also need the help and commitment of all of our alumni to help us take UH to the next level, and to create the worldclass university that Hawaiʻi wants and deserves," he added.
Takamori previously served as acting director of continuing education at the Harvard Alumni Association, in the Alumni Affairs and Development division of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. In that position, Takamori oversaw the Harvard Alumni Association travel program, consisting of more than 50 Harvard alumni study tours annually. He traveled extensively for Harvard, leading alumni groups and faculty on various study programs throughout the world.
Takamori also served as assistant director of travel study, assistant director of alumni college, and staff assistant, Travel Study and Alumni College, at Harvard. He served on the board of directors of the Harvard Student Agencies, the largest student-run corporation in the world, and also served as an advisor to Holoimua, Harvard's undergraduate Hawaiʻi club.
In June 2003, he was selected by his senior management and peers to receive the prestigious Harvard Heroes Award, for outstanding service and commitment to Harvard's development and alumni relations mission.
Takamori has a Master's degree in English from Harvard University, and a BA degree in public relations and journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is an Iolani School graduate.
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
