HONORARY DEGREE
Vaughn Garner Akimeka Vasconcellos Doctor of Humane Letters
Vaughn G. A. Vasconcellos was born in Honolulu and raised in Ho'olehua, Moloka'i and Papakōlea, O'ahu. He attended Kamehameha Schools and the United States Military Academy at West Point where he earned a B.S. in Engineering. Vasconcellos later went on to earn a M.S. in Personnel Management from Troy University and an Executive MBA from Northeastern University. He founded Akimeka, LLC in January 1997 and served as its president and chief executive officer. He also co-founded the Alaka'ina Foundation in 2012, a not-for-profit Native Hawaiian Organization that focuses on building leadership programs for native Hawaiian youth in rural areas and Hawaiian Homestead communities. The Foundation supports programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics ( STEAM ) across the United States. Vasconcellos served on the Maui Economic Development Board, Mālama Nā Keiki Foundation, the Pacific American Foundation and the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce. In 2000, Vasconcellos was selected as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Small Business Administration (SBA) for the State of Hawai'i; and in 2009 he was named SBA's Small Business Person of the Year for Hawai'i. He committed his time and expertise to Chaminade University serving as chair for the Board of Regents from 2014 – 2018 and is currently a member of the Board of Governors. In 2016 Vasconcellos was named to the Silversword Hall of Fame. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and was honored in 2019 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He and the Alaka'ina Foundation support student education through two major scholarships at Chaminade University for student athletes and Native Hawaiian scholars. Vasconcellos and his wife Suzie recently funded an endowed Leadership Institute within the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program.
SPRING 2022 COMMENCEMENT
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