Terrence George, President and CEO of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Joins WICHE Commission

BOULDER, Colorado – Terrence George, president and CEO of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, the largest private foundation in Hawai’i, has been appointed as a commissioner to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a regional interstate compact serving the higher education and policy needs of 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States.

George joins Commissioners David Lassner, president emeritus, and Colleen Sathre, vice president emerita, both from the University of Hawai’i representing the state on the WICHE Commission. The Commission’s 48 commissioners are appointed by the state’s governors, or in the case of the freely associated states, the leader of those three sovereign nations. The Commission guides WICHE’s direction and assures the Western Regional Education Compact is carried out for the benefit of the West, as it has done since 1953.

“I am thrilled to join the WICHE Commission, where I can contribute to shaping the future of higher education and advancing opportunities for students across the region,” George said. “I am eager to collaborate with fellow leaders to drive progress and ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for all.”

Since 2013, George has served as president and chief executive officer of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation which awards $7 million a year in grants to schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations throughout Hawai’i. Prior to that, he served as the chief program officer for the Hawai’i-based Consuelo Foundation. George also serves on the boards of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, Hawai’i P-20 Council, HMSA, Hanahau’oli School, and the Summer Internship Selection Committee for the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship & Training Fund. He is past chair of the board of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii and past president of the Rotary Club of Honolulu.

“Commissioner George’s commitment to student access and success while supporting his community through public service are invaluable to serving the West,” said WICHE President Demarée Michelau. “WICHE’s mission to work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all residents of the West aligns with George’s expertise in closing the achievement gap in public education so that regardless of their socioeconomic background, individuals have access to and benefit from high-quality education.”

Born in Minnesota, George moved at age three to Tokyo and has lived in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawai’i. He is a 1976 graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawai’i. He received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, his master’s degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University, and his executive MBA from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. His wife, Julie, is a retired first-grade teacher, and the couple have two children.