Shaping Global Leaders: UH Hilo’s CoBE Business Night 2026

Faculty, students, alumni, and business partners gather at UH Hilo’s CoBE Business Night 2026.

At UH Hilo’s CoBE Business Night 2026, the College of Business and Economics presented its inaugural Marcia Sakai Excellence in Service Award to Dr. Benjamin Zenk — recognizing the emeriti faculty member who, over more than three decades, helped build CoBE into a leading business schools.

“We hold a distinction that places us in the top 6% of business schools globally,” noted Director Todd Inouye, PhD.

That standing reflects accreditation by AACSB International — the highest credential a business school can hold — which Sakai herself spearheaded for CoBE in 2005. Sakai’s leadership and legacy at CoBE can’t be overstated. Her story is, in many ways, the story of CoBE itself. Since joining the faculty in 1991, she is credited as an architect of CoBE’s evolution. From serving as the first-ever Dean when CoBE was formally established in 2004 to stepping into the role of Interim Chancellor of UH Hilo in 2017, Sakai has embodied what it means to serve a mission greater than oneself.

Dr. Marcia Sakai (left) and Director Todd Inouye (right) present the inaugural Marcia Sakai Excellence in Service Award to Dr. Benjamin Zenk.

“Her service to this college is without parallel,” Inouye said, adding that a plaque bearing the award’s name will be installed on the first floor of Waiolino as “a permanent recognition of the standard Dr. Sakai has set for what service to this college looks like.”

Seniors Hayate Moro and Pomaikaʻi Evans-Bautista — who were enrolled in MGT 490 a Strategy Capstone course — spent their spring semesters planning and executing the entire event and served as the emcees for the evening.

What makes Business Night unique is that CoBE students don’t just attend — they lead. Seniors in the Strategy Capstone course spend the semester managing vendors, negotiating budgets, and running the show. Dr. Inouye emphasizes that the skills applied — resiliency and stakeholder communication — are not simulated; they are lived.

Student organizer Hayate Moro, a finance major, saw the impact firsthand. “Networking events like these help to slowly dissipate the invisible wall between classroom lectures and the real business world,” Moro shared. “Sometimes a single conversation can open the door to a lifelong mentor or a career-changing internship.”

For students like Pomaikaʻi Evans-Bautista, a management major, the night is about practicing the strategic thinking CoBE instills. “It’s inspiring to meet people who are already successful in fields we’re interested in pursuing,” she said. After graduation, Evans-Bautista plans to blend her business acumen with her creative work in photography and marketing.

The evening also highlights top-tier academic achievement through the Beta Gamma Sigma inductions, recognizing the top 10% of business students. Moro noted the inspiration of seeing fellow students, including student-athletes, balance high-level performance in both arenas. “Standing together, I couldn’t help but imagine all of the incredible things each person will accomplish throughout their lifetime,” he reflected.

By choosing CoBE, students enter a community that turns “ideas and dreams into something real”. With the backing of AACSB accreditation and a curriculum that demands real-world execution, graduates leave with the “Aloha Business Mindset” and the confidence to lead. Business Night remains the culminating moment where CoBE’s work becomes visible, impactful, and ready to shape the future of the community.