HILO, Hawai'i – University of Hawai'i at Hilo Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kris Roney announced the appointment of Dr. Todd Inouye as the permanent Director of the College of Business and Economics, effective Nov. 1, 2022.

Inouye, who is an Associate Professor of Management, will also continue to teach his classes for the remainder of the fall semester. He will begin the full complement of responsibilities in January 2023.

Inouye joined UH Hilo in Fall 2019 from Niagara University in New York. His interests lie at the intersection of competitive context and firm-level strategy of small to medium-sized enterprises. He has a BA with Distinction in Psychology, Executive MBA, and Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He has served as department chair in CoBE since it was re-established in 2021.         

"Over the course of the last year, CoBE faculty have worked on reflections related to their AACSB accreditation, including permanency for leadership, given the structure and size of the College," Roney said. "The position is modeled on the college directorship in Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language and contains the responsibilities of the department chair, significant elements of a dean role and service to key leadership committees with other college leadership.                                                

"After careful consideration and the integration of their feedback and College vision into the position structure, the faculty voted Todd, who they had previously recommended for College leadership, as the Director," she added.

Inouye has also been a volunteer assistant with the Hawai'i Hilo men's soccer program since he joined the University in 2019.

He is very much involved in the local soccer community as chairman of the O'ahu League, serving on the Hawai'i Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) Board of Directors and club founder / director of coaching for Crush Academy in Honolulu.