Two Business and Education Leaders to Receive Honorary Doctorates from ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥
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- May 3, 2016
ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ will present two honorary doctorates at its commencement ceremonies on June 11th and 12th, respectively. The honorary degrees of Doctor of Humane Letters will be given to Evelyn Dilsaver (B.S. ’77, Business Administration) and Yoji Unoki for their contributions as business, community and civic leaders.
Dilsaver, a CSUEB alumna, has been a trustee on the ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥, East Bay Foundation Board since 2009, and has served as its chair since 2013. The Foundation, which “supports the university's mission to provide educational excellence," is just one of numerous corporate, education, health and civic engagement boards Dilsaver serves on.
After graduating with a bachelor of science in business administration from ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ and becoming a certified public accountant, Dilsaver spent 17 years working in finance, holding the position of controller at First Nationwide Bank and later, Charles Schwab. In 2004, Dilsaver was named president and CEO of Charles Schwab Investment Management — a position she held for three years.
In recognition of her extraordinary accomplishments, Dilsaver has been the recipient of several awards from multiple organizations throughout her career. For six years in a row, she has been named one of the “100 Most Influential Women” by the San Francisco Business Times, which also awarded her “Outstanding Director” in 2014.
In 1991, Unoki was named councilor to Fukuoka University of Education, and a few years later became mangaing director and councilor of Fukuoka Institute of Technology. After assuming the position of chairman and CEO, Unoki developed a progressive and transformative plan to advance the university by establishing several engineering departments and a graduate school to prepare students for the 21st century.
Since 2003, ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ has partnered with FIT in a series of unique programs designed to bring change to education in both Japan and America. Together, the universities have developed diverse, multicultural educational experiences for students, faculty and administrators.
Prior to taking the lead role in 1991, Unoki spent 27 years at the Japanese retail giant Daiei Incorporated, rising through the ranks to become executive advisor to the president of the company. In 1988, Unoki was named CEO of the new Daiei Hawks, a professional baseball team housed in Fukuoka, Japan’s sixth largest city located on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu. Under his leadership, a 47,000-seat domed stadium was built, the first of its kind in Japan, as well as Hawks Town, a community development surrounding the stadium.