Clifford C. Dias named to University of Hawaii Board of Regents

University of Hawaiʻi
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External Affairs and University Relations
Posted: May 20, 2010

Clifford C. Dias
Clifford C. Dias
HONOLULU – Retired bank executive Clifford C. Dias has been named to the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents, filling the East Hawai‘i seat left vacant by the resignation earlier this year of former Regent Harvey Tajiri. His appointment is an interim appointment subject to confirmation by the state Senate Committee on Higher Education during the next legislative session.
 
Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, Dias graduated from St. Joseph School in Hilo and enrolled in the University of Portland School of Business in Oregon. He enlisted in the Army Reserve during the Vietnam era, achieving the rank of captain with military occupation specialties in field artillery and finance, and then returned to the University of Portland to complete a bachelor of business administration in marketing.
 
Dias spent more than 20 years in commercial banking with institutions including those now known as Wells Fargo and Bank of America. He eventually served as president/CEO of a multi-billion-dollar financial institution in Oregon with responsibility for day-to-day leadership and strategic planning. Retired in 2006 after 11 years at OnPoint Community Credit Union, Dias is particularly proud of how well OnPoint weathered the financial storm of 2008-09.
 
Named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon,” for an unprecedented five years in a row, OnPoint was selected as one of Oregon’s Most Admired Companies in a statewide survey of more than 800 CEOs, who ranked firms on innovation, branding and marketing, quality of management, community involvement and quality of products and service.
 
He has served on many boards, including the American Red Cross and Rotary Club, and volunteered for numerous projects, such as winterizing homes for the low-income and elderly. He serves on the Board of Directors of North Hawai‘i Community Hospital, a 40-bed acute care hospital located on the Big Island.
 
Described as a “people oriented, customer focused, results driven leader” by colleagues, Dias has received a number of honors, including the “My Boss is a Patriot” award from the Department of Defense. In 2009 he was selected as a “Significant 75” graduate out of the University of Portland School of Business’s 8,000 graduates.