University of Hawaii at Mānoa

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Sandra fujiyama was appointed Executive Director of the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at Shidler College of Business in Mānoa, effective October 19.

In this leadership role, Fujiyama will lead community outreach efforts, along with the board of directors and partner companies, to elevate and promote entrepreneurship education, locally, nationally and internationally. She will also oversee the more than 20 PACE programs that provide mentorship, training and resources to all UH students and faculty. In addition, Fujiyama will lead the entrepreneurial programming of RISE (Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs), a world-class innovation and entrepreneurship center coupled with student housing, scheduled to end in fall 2023.

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Fujiyama was most recently responsible for innovation and business development at UH’s office of innovation and commercialization, where she led innovation and entrepreneurship efforts which included spearheading a Grant proposal that resulted in $ 2.7 million from the US Economic Development Administration to support innovation-related pandemic recovery efforts. , entrepreneurship and workforce development. She also led the Innovation Impact Challenge program, the Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer program with strategic partner Innovate Hawaii of Hawaii Technology Development Corp. and UH Ventures Accelerator.

“We are delighted to welcome Sandra to PACE,” said Shidler College of Business Dean Vance Rôley. “Considering his immense experience in intellectual property law, the time spent at the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati law firm based in Silicon Valley and his current work at UH, we are confident in his vision. and consider leading at the helm. His varied professional background, Hawaiian roots and legal expertise have allowed PACE to continue to be successful.

“PACE has inspired and nurtured an impressive list of local startups with its comprehensive set of programs and resources that guide innovators and entrepreneurs on their journey from idea to small business to social and economic impact. ”Said Fujiyama. “I am grateful and honored to have been appointed to this position, to serve our students and our community, and to further the mission of diversifying Hawaii’s economy by training entrepreneurial thinkers and innovative problem solvers.”

Ben Godsey, Chairman of the Board of PACE and President of ProService Hawaii, said, “After extensive research, we are delighted that Sandra is joining PACE and continues to grow its impact. Today, businesses are changing very quickly following COVID disruptions; HawaiÊ»i seeks to develop entrepreneurship to strengthen our economy, and PACE is expanding its impact with the development of RISE and enhanced programming. We look forward to Sandra’s leadership, collaboration and partnership with the Board of Directors and the business community.

Learn more about Fujiyama

Prior to joining UH, Fujiyama worked for Dentons US LLP in Honolulu and prior to that she spent nearly 15 years specializing in intellectual property law at various law firms in Los Angeles including Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC and Sidley Austin, where she pursued patent and trademark applications. at the US Patent and Trademark Office, litigated intellectual property matters involving patents, trademarks and copyrights, and provided intellectual property strategy and advice to a range of clients, including startups.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Fujiyama received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her law degree from UCLA Law School. She is licensed to practice in California, Hawaii, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Fujiyama currently serves on the board of directors of the Hawaii Entrepreneurs Foundation. She has also been a member of the California Bar Foundation, the Japanese American Bar Association Educational Foundation, and the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance. She was recognized by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association as “Best Lawyer Under 40” and was recently recognized as the 2021 laureate of Pacific Business News‘Women who want to do business’ award.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) is home to an integrated suite of cutting-edge entrepreneurship programs at the University of Hawai’i. Based at the Shidler College of Business, PACE is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship among all members of the university and the local community. For more information visit pace.shidler.hawaii.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter @PACEhawaii. For more information on RISE, visit pace.shidler.hawaii.edu/rise.

The Shidler College of Business at Hawai’i University at Mānoa was established in 1949 as a College of Business Administration and named in 2006 in honor of alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of the Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in teaching international management and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top business schools for international business by American News and World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific orientation, the college offers a wide variety of diploma, certificate and executive programs. The college offers the only graduate program in the state of Hawaii and Vietnam accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawaii at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing over 225 different degrees. Coming from all Hawaiian Islands, nation states, and over 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in a nurturing 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.