Mr. Dennis Teranishi

Mr. Teranishi is President and CEO of the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR), where he has been a board member since 1997. PICTHR is a nonprofit organization that accelerates technology commercialization to increase security, safety and economic opportunities in Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific. Its focus is on renewable energy, agriculture, disaster management and dual-use technology. He also serves as a member of the Board of Hawaiian Host, Inc.; Island Holdings, Inc.; Island Insurance Co., Ltd.; and as an Executive Advisor to ITO EN (USA) Inc. Before joining PICHTR, Mr. Teranishi was CEO of Hawaiian Host, Inc. for 14 years.

Prior to that, he worked for 19 years at AMFAC, Inc., ending his tenure as president of AMFAC Agribusiness, Inc. He was honorably discharged as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Mr. Teranishi holds a B.S. in crop science from California State Polytechnic University and an M.S. in soil chemistry and plant nutrition from the University of Hawaii. In 1993, he was recognized as an outstanding alumnus of the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. In 2014, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan.