David Lassner

2018 Distinguished Academic Achievement Alumni Award

David Lassner (BA Economics ’76, MS CS ’81) is the president of the University of Hawai’i and also interim chancellor of the University of Hawai?i at Manoa, the flagship research campus of the UH System.

He began his career at the university in 1977, and is focused on helping the state’s residents earn college credentials and developing an innovation sector to strengthen Hawai’i’s economy.

Lassner has served as principal investigator for $400 million in federal awards at the University of Hawai?i. He also led the federally funded project that interconnected all public schools, libraries and campuses on Hawai’i’s six islands with fiber optics, and is principal investigator for the Maui High Performance Computing Center and for the Pacific Disaster Center.

In addition, Lassner is a commissioner of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, a board member and vice chair of the National Association of System Heads, and a member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center.